Unique genetic factors influence sensitivity to the rewarding and aversive effects of methamphetamine versus cocaine

Genetic factors significantly influence addiction-related phenotypes. This is supported by the successful bidirectional selective breeding of two replicate sets of mouse lines for amount of methamphetamine consumed. Some of the same genetic factors that influence methamphetamine consumption have been previously found also to influence sensitivity to the conditioned rewarding and aversive effects of methamphetamine. The goal of the current studies was to determine if some of the same genetic factors influence sensitivity to the conditioned rewarding and aversive effects of cocaine. Cocaine conditioned reward was examined in methamphetamine high drinking and low drinking line mice using a conditioned place preference procedure and cocaine conditioned aversion was measured using a conditioned taste aversion procedure. In addition, a general sensitivity measure, locomotor stimulant response to cocaine, was assessed in these lines; previous data indicated no difference between the selected lines in sensitivity to methamphetamine-induced stimulation. In contrast to robust differences for methamphetamine, the methamphetamine high and low drinking lines did not differ in sensitivity to either the rewarding or aversive effects of cocaine. They also exhibited comparable sensitivity to cocaine-induced locomotor stimulation. These data suggest that the genetic factors that influence sensitivity to the conditioned rewarding and aversive effects of methamphetamine in these lines of mice do not influence sensitivity to these effects of cocaine. Thus, different genetic factors may influence risk for methamphetamine versus cocaine use.