Effect of Environmental Enrichment on Relapse to Methamphetamine Seeking

Abstract

Relapse to drug use is the most critical challenge in treating addiction. Therefore, preventing relapse is the most important approach in managing addictive disorder. Psychostimulant use is a critical health issue in Saudi Arabia and worldwide. Of note, methamphetamine (METH) is one of the most commonly used psychostimulant worldwide. In this study, we investigated the relapse to METH seeking using conditioned place preference (CPP) in animal model. The CPP apparatus consists of two conditioning chambers which are distinguished by both visual and tactile cues. Of note, evidence showed the positive effects of environmental enrichment on neurogenesis and neurochemical measures. Surprisingly, there is no previous study investigated the role of environmental enrichment in relapse to METH seeking. Here, we tested the effects of environmental enrichment on the relapse to METH seeking in rat model of drug addiction. The CPP experiment consists of four distinct phases; the habituation, acquisition, extinction, and reinstatement phase. Rats were allowed to explore the entire CPP apparatus without any treatment during the habituation phase. Each animal then received either saline or METH (1 mg/kg, i.p.) for 8 days during the acquisition phase, followed by housing in either isolated or enriched environment for 30 days during the extinction phase. Finally, rats were tested for reinstatement produced by i.p. injections of METH (1 mg/kg, i.p.). METH treatment during acquisition phase has significantly increased time spent in METH‐paired chamber as compared to saline‐paired chamber. No significant changes in time spent in either saline‐ or METH‐paired chambers following the extinction phase. A priming dose of METH significantly increased time spent in METH‐paired chamber as compared to saline‐paired chamber in animals that were housed in isolated environment. Interestingly, enriched environment blocked the reinstatement effect of METH. This indicates the important role of environmental enrichment as a treatment strategy in drug dependence.Support or Funding InformationThis work was supported by Award Number 1‐438‐6013 from the Deanship of Graduate Studies and Research, Taif University, SA.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.