161— The effects of environment on the development of cocaine-seeking

Cocaine addiction is a major individual and societal issue. This study aimed to investigate the environmental and social factors that influence the development of cocaine addiction. Mice were reared in either standard housing or enriched housing. Cocaine preference was measured using the Conditioned Place Preference paradigm, in which subjects are conditioned to associate an injection of cocaine (20mg/kg. I.P.) with a particular side of a 3 chambered arena. Subjects reared in enriched environments displayed increased preference for cocaine in cue primed tests. All subjects displayed cocaine preference in cocaine primed tests. This may be attributed to the enhanced memory that is often seen in mice reared in enriched environments. Future neurobiological assessments will determine if differences exist in the activation patterns of brains from enriched and standard conditions which are associated with the underlying causes of behavior changes, e.g. hippocampus. These assessments will help to shed light on the neural mechanisms associated with cocaine addiction.