Assessment of monoamine transporter inhibition in the mediation of cocaine-induced conditioned taste aversion

Although the mechanisms of cocaine reward have been well characterized, the pharmacological basis of cocaine's aversive effects is less understood. Using the conditioned taste aversion (CTA) preparation, the present study examined the role of monoamine uptake inhibition in cocaine's aversive effects by comparing cocaine to three reuptake inhibitors with relative specificity for the transporters of dopamine (DAT; GBR 12909), norepinephrine (NET; desipramine) and serotonin (SERT; clomipramine). Specifically, 104 male Sprague-Dawley rats were given 20-min access to a novel saccharin solution followed immediately by a subcutaneous injection of cocaine, GBR 12909, desipramine, clomipramine (each at 18, 32 or 50 mg/kg; 12 groups) or drug vehicle (equivolume to the highest cocaine dose). Over trials, cocaine and desipramine each dose-dependently suppressed saccharin consumption and did so in an equivalent manner when matched by dose. However, both GBR 12909 and clomipramine conditioned weaker aversions than cocaine at the two lowest doses (18 and 32 mg/kg). At the highest dose (50 mg/kg), GBR 12909 produced equivalent suppression of saccharin consumption to cocaine while clomipramine's conditioned suppression remained relatively weak at this dose. These results suggest that cocaine's adrenergic actions resulting from NET inhibition may play a more significant role in the mediation of its aversive effects than its actions at DAT and SERT.