Investigating Methamphetamine Craving Using the Extinction-Reinstatement Model in the Rat

J Addict Res Ther. 2011 Nov 15;S1(3):003. doi: 10.4172/2155-6105.s1-003.

Abstract

Like all other drugs of abuse, the primary therapeutic objective for treating methamphetamine addiction research is the maintenance of abstinence and prevention of relapse to habitual drug-taking. Compounds with the potential to prevent relapse are often investigated in rats that are trained to self-administer intravenous methamphetamine, subjected to extinction training where responding is no longer reinforced, and then given tests for reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior triggered by methamphetamine injections or re-exposure to drug-paired cues. Experimental compounds are administered to the animals prior to the reinstatement tests to evaluate their potential for attenuating or preventing drug-seeking behavior. This article describes the common procedures of the extinction-reinstatement model in studies of this type, and identifies areas of discrepancy. This is followed by a comprehensive overview of the currently published anti-reinstatement effects of pharmacological compounds, classified by the most relevant neurological systems associated with these compounds. The article concludes with a brief discussion of how the study of anti-reinstatement effects can be expanded to further verify existing positive results or to find novel neurobiological targets.