UC San Diego

Drug relapse, mediated by drug-associated memories, is a major problem associated with addiction. Protein kinase C (PKC) is a family of protein kinase enzymes that has been implicated in learning and memory with regards to addiction. This study used a PKC inhibitor, chelerythrine (10nmol), to investigate the effects of blocking PKC throughout the brain on addiction related memories. Cocaine (15mg/kg) induced locomotor sensitization, used to model the transition from casual to compulsive use, and conditioned place preference, used to model drug seeking behavior, were investigated. Chelerythrine or aCSF was delivered continuously throughout the experiment through the use of an osmotic mini pump. Chelerythrine infused mice did not have any significant change of preference in comparison to the aCSF controls. Twenty-four hours after the preference test, all mice received an injection of cocaine (15mg/kg) and locomotor sensitization was analyzed. It was found that experimental mice had a significant negation of sensitization in comparison to the controls