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. 2019 Nov;17(11):1039–1055. doi: 10.2174/1570159X17666190617101726

Table 1. Changes in the NMDA receptor subunits and scaffolding proteins after noncontingent and contingent cocaine administration in rodents.

Behavioural Model and Neurochemical Measurement Time Species GLUN1 GLUN2A GLUN2B GLUN3 Refs.
NONCONTINGENT COCAINE ADMINISTRATION
Acute
acute cocaine injection
(20 mg/kg; i.p.)
measurement: 16 h after injection
Sprague Dawley rats VTA- ϕ VTA- ϕ VTA- ϕ No data. [18]
acute cocaine injection
(20 mg/kg; i.p.)
measurement: 1 h or 24 h after injection
Sprague Dawley rats mRNA:
cingulate cortex- ϕ
parietal cortex- ϕ
temporal cortex- ϕ
CA1- ϕ
CA2-3- ↑ (1h)
striatum- ϕ
dentate gyrus- ↑ (1h)
thalamus- n.d.
cerebellum- ϕ
nucleus accumbens- ϕ
ventral pallidum- ϕ
subiculum- ϕ
entorhinal cortex- ϕ
mRNA:
cingulate cortex- ϕ
parietal cortex- ϕ
temporal cortex- ϕ
CA1- ϕ
CA2-3- ϕ
striatum- ϕ
dentate gyrus- ϕ
thalamus- n.d.
cerebellum- ϕ
nucleus accumbens- ϕ
ventral pallidum- ϕ
subiculum- ϕ
entorhinal cortex- ϕ
mRNA:
cingulate cortex- ϕ
parietal cortex- ϕ
temporal cortex- ϕ
CA1- ϕ
CA2-3- ϕ
striatum- ϕ
dentate gyrus- ϕ
thalamus- ϕ
cerebellum- n.d.
nucleus accumbens- ϕ
ventral pallidum- n.d.
subiculum- ϕ
entorhinal cortex- ϕ
No data. [24]
acute cocaine
injection
(15 mg/kg; i.p.)
measurement: 15 min after injection
Sabra rats VTA- ↑ VTA- ↑ VTA- ↑ No data. [17]
acute cocaine injection
(10 mg/kg; i.p.)
measurement: 40 min or 24 h after injection
Sprague Dawley rats VTA- ϕ
nucleus accumbens- ϕ
dorsal striatum- ϕ
VTA- ϕ
nucleus accumbens- ϕ
dorsal striatum- ϕ
VTA- ϕ
nucleus accumbens- ϕ
dorsal striatum- ϕ
No data. [19]
Repeated
repeated cocaine injections
(20 mg/kg; once a day; 7 days; i.p.)
measurement: 16 h after last injection
Sprague Dawley rats VTA- ↑ VTA- ϕ VTA- ϕ No data. [18]
repeated cocaine injections
(15 mg/kg; twice daily; 14 days; i.p.)
measurement: 16 h after last injection
Sprague Dawley rats VTA-↑
frontal-parietal cortex- ϕ
medial prefrontal cortex- ϕ
posterior cingulate cortex- ϕ
striatum- ϕ
nucleus accumbens- ϕ
hippocampus- ϕ
substantia nigra- ϕ
VTA- ϕ VTA- ϕ No data. [18]
Behavioural Model and Neurochemical
Measurement Time
Species GLUN1 GLUN2A GLUN2B GLUN3 Refs.
NONCONTINGENT COCAINE ADMINISTRATION
Repeated
repeated cocaine injections
(15 mg/kg; once a day; 5 days; i.p.)
measurement: 24 h after last injection
Sprague Dawley rats nucleus
accumbens shell- ↑
(surface and
surface:total ratio)
nucleus accumbens shell- ϕ nucleus accumbens shell- ↑ (surface, total and surface:total ratio)
(surface, total and surface:total ratio)
No data. [31]
repeated cocaine injections
(15 mg/kg; once a day; 5 days; i.p.)
measurement: 24 h after last injection
Sprague Dawley rats No data. nucleus accumbens shell- ϕ nucleus accumbens shell- ↑ No data. [32]
repeated cocaine injection
(10 mg/kg; 7 days; i.p.)
measurement: 40 min after last injection
Sprague Dawley rats VTA- ϕ
nucleus accumbens- ϕ
dorsal striatum- ϕ
VTA- ϕ
nucleus accumbens- ϕ
dorsal striatum- ϕ
VTA- ϕ
nucleus accumbens- ϕ
dorsal striatum- ϕ
No data. [19]
Cocaine Sensitization
cocaine sensitization (1 day- 15 mg/kg; 2-6 days- 30 mg/kg; 7 day- 15 mg/kg; 21 day of withdrawal)
measurement: 24 h or 3 weeks after last injection
Sprague Dawley rats VTA- ↑ (1 day but not at 3 weeks of withdrawal) No data. No data. No data. [26]
cocaine sensitization
(acute- saline (1-8 days) – cocaine (15 mg/kg) (29 day)
repeated- cocaine (15-30 mg/kg) (1-8 days) – saline (29 day);
cocaine (15-30 mg/kg) (1-8 days) – cocaine (15 mg/kg) (29 day))
measurement: 24 h after last injection
Sprague Dawley rats mRNA:
VTA- ↓ (acute and repeated)
nucleus accumbens shell- ϕ
nucleus accumbens core- ↓ (acute)
dorsolateral striatum- ↓ (acute and repeated)
prefrontal cortex- ϕ
No data. No data. No data. [20]
cocaine sensitization
(1 day- 7.5 mg/kg, s.c.; 2-5 days- 40 mg/kg, s.c.; 18 days of withdrawal; 7.5 mg/kg, s.c.)
measurement: 1 h after last injection
Sprague Dawley rats No data. No data. prefrontal cortex- ϕ
nucleus accumbens core- ϕ
nucleus accumbens shell-↑
caudate- ϕ
amygdala- ϕ
No data. [33]
cocaine sensitization (1-2 days- handling; 3-7 days -20 mg/kg; once a days; i.p.; 8-12 days- resting; 14 day- priming dose- 10 mg/kg)
measurement: 1 h after last injection
C57BL/6J mice prefrontal cortex- ↓ (vehicle-cocaine) prefrontal cortex- ↓ (vehicle-cocaine); ↑ (cocaine-cocaine) prefrontal cortex- ↓ (vehicle-cocaine)

GLUN2C:
prefrontal cortex- ↓ (vehicle-cocaine); ↑ (cocaine-vehicle; cocaine-cocaine)
No data. [21]
Behavioural Model and
Neurochemical
Measurement Time
Species GLUN1 GLUN2A GLUN2B GLUN3 Refs.
NONCONTINGENT COCAINE ADMINISTRATION
Conditioned Place Preference (CPP)
CPP
(15 mg/kg; 7 days; i.p.; 14 days of withdrawal; cocaine 7.5 mg/kg)
measurement: 1 h after last injection
Sprague Dawley rats nucleus
accumbens- ϕ
nucleus accumbens- ϕ nucleus accumbens- ↓ No data. [30]
CPP
Fix-C- fixed daily dose of cocaine (4 days by 11.25 mg/kg)
Esc-C- daily escalating doses of cocaine (3,6,12,24 mg/kg; 1 dose/day)
measurement: 24 h after last injection
C57BL/6J mice hippocampus- ϕ hippocampus- ϕ hippocampus- ↑ Fix-C; ↑ Esc-C (protein)
hippocampus- ↑ Esc-C (mRNA)
No data. [37]
CONTINGENT COCAINE ADMINISTRATION
cocaine binge access
(cocaine self-administration
(0.5 mg/kg/infusion; 8-h/day; 14 days);
cocaine binge- multiple 3h self-administration; 1h time outs; 6 days)
measurement: 0 h after last session
Sprague Dawley rats VTA- ϕ
substantia nigra- ↑
nucleus
accumbens- ϕ
striatum- ↑
prefrontal cortex- ϕ
No data. VTA- ϕ
substantia
nigra- ϕ
nucleus accumbens- ϕ
striatum- ↑
prefrontal
cortex- ϕ
3A:
nucleus accumbens- ϕ
striatum- ↑
prefrontal
cortex- ϕ
3B:
nucleus accumbens- ϕ
striatum- ↑
prefrontal cortex- ϕ
[49]
cocaine self-administration
(0.5 mg/kg/infusion; 8-h/day; 15 days)
measurement: 16 h after last session
Sprague Dawley rats VTA- ↓SA
nucleus
accumbens- ϕ
medial prefrontal cortex- ↑SA
substantia nigra- ϕ
dorsal caudate-putamen- ↑SA
VTA- ϕ
nucleus accumbens- ϕ
medial prefrontal cortex- ϕ
substantia nigra- ϕ
dorsal caudate-putamen- ↑SA
nucleus accumbens- ϕ
medial prefrontal cortex- ϕ
dorsal caudate-putamen- ↑SA
GLUN3A and 3B:
nucleus accumbens- ϕ
medial prefrontal cortex- ϕ
dorsal caudate-putamen- ϕ
[48]
cocaine self-administration
(0.5 mg/kg/infusion; 2-h/day; 14 days)
measurement: 0 h after last session
Wistar rats hippocampus- ϕ (homogenate); ↑YC, ↑SA (post-synaptic density) hippocampus- ϕ (homogenate); ↑YC, ↑SA (post-synaptic density) hippocampus- ϕ (homogenate); ↑YC, ↑SA (post-synaptic density) No data. [39]
SCAFFOLDING PROTEINS:
SAP102:
hippocampus- ↑YC (homogenate); ↑YC, ↑SA (post-synaptic density)
SAP97:
hippocampus- ϕ (homogenate); ↑YC, ↑SA (post-synaptic density)
PSD95:
hippocampus- ϕ (homogenate); ϕ (post-synaptic density)
cocaine self-administration
(0.5 mg/kg/infusion; 2-h/day; 16 days)
measurement: 0 h after last session
Wistar rats prefrontal cortex- ϕ
hippocampus- ↑SA
dorsal striatum- ↓YC
nucleus
accumbens- ϕ
prefrontal cortex- ϕ
hippocampus- ϕ
dorsal striatum- ↑SA
nucleus accumbens- ϕ
prefrontal
cortex- ϕ
hippocampus- ϕ
dorsal striatum- ϕ
nucleus accumbens- ϕ
No data. [3]

Abbreviations: ϕ- no changes; ↑- increase; ↓- decrease; h- hour; i.p.- intraperitoneal; i.v.- intravenous; SA- self-administered group; s.c.- subcutaneous; YC- “yoked” cocaine group; VTA- ventral tegmental area.