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The relationship between cocaine self-administration and actigraphy-based measures of sleep in adult rhesus monkeys

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Abstract

Rationale

Clinical trials show that chronic cocaine users suffer from sleep disturbances and preclinical research has shown that acute sleep deprivation increases the rate of cocaine self-administration in rats.

Objective

This study examined the effect of cocaine self-administration on behavioral indices of sleep and alternatively the effect of sleep disruption on cocaine-maintained responding by rhesus monkeys.

Methods

Seven adult rhesus monkeys, fitted with Actical® activity monitors, were trained to respond under a concurrent choice paradigm with food (three 1.0-g pellets) and cocaine (0.003–0.3 mg/kg) or saline presentation. For each monkey, the lowest preferred dose of cocaine (>80 % cocaine choice) was determined. Activity data were analyzed during lights out (2000-0600) to determine sleep efficiency, sleep latency, and total activity counts. Subsequently, the monkeys’ sleep was disrupted (every hour during lights-out period) the night prior to food–cocaine choice sessions.

Results

Self-administration of the preferred dose of cocaine resulted in a significant decrease in sleep efficiency, with a significant increase in total lights-out activity. Sleep disruption significantly altered behavioral indices of sleep, similar to those seen following cocaine self-administration. However, sleep disruption did not affect cocaine self-administration under concurrent choice conditions.

Conclusions

Based on these findings, cocaine self-administration does appear to disrupt behavioral indices of sleep, although it remains to be determined if treatments that improve sleep measures can affect future cocaine taking.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Tonya Calhoun and Michael Coller for excellent technical assistance and Dr. Kevin Murnane for assistance with analysis of sleep measures and Dr. Paul Czoty for comments on an earlier version of the manuscript. This research was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse grant DA025120.

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The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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  1. Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., 546 NRC, Winston-Salem, NC, 27157-1083, USA

    Robert E. Brutcher & Michael A. Nader

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  1. Robert E. Brutcher
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  2. Michael A. Nader
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Correspondence to Michael A. Nader.

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Brutcher, R.E., Nader, M.A. The relationship between cocaine self-administration and actigraphy-based measures of sleep in adult rhesus monkeys. Psychopharmacology 229, 267–274 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-013-3101-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-013-3101-1

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