Administration of GABA B receptor positive allosteric modulators inhibit the expression of previously established methamphetamine-induced conditioned place preference

Abstract

Little is known about the role of GABA B receptors (GABA BRs) in the maintenance of memories associated with using abused substances. We have embarked on a series of studies designed to determine if enhancing the efficacy of GABA-occupied GABA BRs with positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) can negate previously established conditioned place preference (CPP) induced by methamphetamine. In the current study, we evaluated the effects of acute administration of GABA BR PAMs, GS39783 and CGP7930. We determined that post-conditioning treatments with these PAMs, administered in the home cage, blocked the subsequent expression of methamphetamine-induced CPP. These data indicate that selectively augmenting GABA-occupied GABA BR signaling is sufficient to reduce memory maintenance and/or the salience of contextual cues previously associated with methamphetamine.