Figure 6.
Daily N-acetylcysteine prevents cocaine-induced blunting of system xc− activity in the nucleus accumbens. Data depict [35S]cystine transport restricted to system xc− activity in nucleus accumbens tissue punches. Group designations refer only to treatments given during self-administration training at which time rats received saline or N-acetylcysteine (60 mg/kg, i.p.) before self-administering saline or cocaine (1.0 mg/kg, i.v./infusion; 6 h/d). The pretreatment/self-administration drug assignments resulted in the following groups: Sal–Sal (N = 12), NAC–Sal (N = 5), Sal–Coc (N = 7), and NAC–Coc (N = 11). After an extended drug-free period (23–34 d), tissue punches were obtained from the nucleus accumbens and used to measure [35S]cystine transport by system xc−. *Significant difference from Sal–Sal controls; Dunnett's t, p < 0.05. #Significant difference from NAC–Coc rats; Dunnett's t, p < 0.05.