Failure of ritanserin to block the discriminative or reinforcing stimulus effects of cocaine

R. L. Peltier, M. W. Emmett-Oglesby, W. H. Thomas, S. Schenk

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9 Scopus citations

Abstract

Ritanserin, a 5-HT 2 1c antagonist, has been suggested to reduce the preference for cocaine in rats. In the present experiment, the action of ritanserin was investigated in locomotor activity, cocaine drug discrimination, and cocaine self-administration paradigms in rats. A low dose of ritanserin (1.0 mg/kg) was without effect on locomotor activity, while a higher dose (10.0 mg/kg) reduced both horizontal and vertical locomotor activity counts during the first 30 min of the test session. Ritanserin (0.32-32 mg/kg) did not significantly affect the discrimination of 10 mg/kg of cocaine, nor did a dose of 10.0 mg/kg significantly modify the dose-effect curve for cocaine discrimination. Ritanserin (1.0 and 10.0 mg/kg) had no significant effect on the dose-response curve for cocaine self-administration. Thus, ritanserin was without effect against either the discriminative or reinforcing stimulus effects of cocaine, suggesting that ritanserin has limited efficacy as a potential treatment for cocaine abuse.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)473-478
Number of pages6
JournalPharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior
Volume48
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1994

Keywords

  • Cocaine
  • Drug discrimination
  • Locomotor activity
  • Ritanserin
  • Self-administration

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