The effects of tropisetron on cocaine‐induced conditioned taste aversions

Abstract

Cocaine, like other drugs of abuse, has both rewarding and aversive effects, and the balance between these effects may influence a drug's overall abuse potential. The conditioned taste aversion (CTA) preparation is an animal model used to assay the aversive effects of drugs. In this procedure, animals avoid consumption of a novel taste after it has been paired with a drug, a decrease in consumption indicative of the drug's aversive effects. The present study addressed whether pharmacological antagonism of 5‐HT would result in attenuated cocaine‐induced CTAs indicating a role of 5‐HT in cocaine's aversive effects. The specific 5‐HT receptor, 5‐HT3, was analyzed given that it is implicated in a variety of behavioral effects of cocaine. This series of investigations assessed the aversive effects of the 5‐HT3 antagonist tropisetron alone and in combination with cocaine. Tropisetron failed to attenuate cocaine‐induced CTAs, suggesting that cocaine's aversive effects are not mediated by 5‐HT, or at least this specific receptor subtype. This research was supported in part by a grant from the Mellon Foundation, the Mathias Research Award and American University's Scholars and Artists Fellowship.