Preference for higher sucrose concentrations in cocaine abusing-dependent patients
Introduction
Animal studies suggest that mice and rats that are prone to prefer alcohol containing solutions over water prefer concentrated sucrose or saccharin solutions, and/or consume such solutions beyond what is their normal daily fluid intake. This phenomena occurs in individual rats and mice, and in lines genetically developed to specifically drink alcohol (Gosnell and Krahn, 1992, Dyr and Kostowski, 2000, Kampov-Polevoy et al., 1990, Kampov-Polevoy et al., 1994, Kampov-Polevoy et al., 1995, Kampov-Polevoy et al., 1999, Bachmanov et al., 1996; Overstreet et al, 1993; Sinclair et al., 1992, Grahame et al., 1999, Ramirez and Sprott, 1978, Stewart et al., 1997). It has not been found to occur in lines genetically developed to drink saccharin as such (Badia-Elder et al., 1994), nor in all alcohol drinking rodent lines (Goodwin et al., 2000, Agabio et al., 2000)..
A limited number of animal studies have evaluated the relationship between sweet liking and cocaine intake (Gahtan et al., 1996, Gosnell, 2000, Gosnell et al., 1998). Gosnell (2000) has shown that increased sucrose intake in rats, occurring following a mild stressor, was related to the time needed to reach acquisition criteria for self-administration of cocaine. Those rats which most rapidly met criteria for acquisition of cocaine self-administration had previously preferred high concentrations of sucrose after being stressed. However, once acquisition occurred, rats that were high versus low concentration sucrose consumers when stressed were not different with respect to the eventual amount of cocaine consumed (Gosnell, 2000). Similarly, Gosnell et al. (1998), although finding some relationship between cocaine and saccharin intake, did not find this relationship to be a simple one. Likewise, Wistar rats, selected for high and low saccharin intake, did not show a significant correlation between saccharin and cocaine consumption, although these rats did show a positive relationship between the amount of alcohol and saccharin they self-administered (Gahtan et al., 1996). Thus, there is conflicting evidence as to the existence of a relationship between preference for high sweet concentrations and cocaine self-administration in rats. It has been speculated that the relationship between a preference for sweet solutions and alcohol consumption is mediated by common neurochemical mechanisms controlling reward behaviors including opioid, dopaminergic and serotonergic influences (Kampov-Polevoy et al., 1999), and this presentation may logically apply to cocaine (Maone et al., 1992).
In addition to animal studies, there is evidence that preference (liking) for high concentrations of sucrose is related to human alcoholism (Kampov-Polevoy et al., 1997, Kampov-Polevoy et al., 1998). In an extension of an earlier study (Kampov-Polevoy et al., 1997), Kampov-Polevoy et al., (1998) studied 52 male normal controls and 26 alcoholic males. These individuals were compared with respect to their preferences for different concentrations of sucrose solutions, ranging from 0.05 to 0.83 M. Sixty-two percent of the alcoholics preferred the highest sucrose solution (0.83 M), while only 21% of the normal control group showed a similar preference.
Furthermore, a link between a family history of alcoholism and a liking for high concentration sucrose solutions has been reported (Kampov-Polevoy et al., 2001a, Kampov-Polevoy et al., 2001b). Kampov-Polevoy et al. (2001b) most recently reported that a paternal history of alcoholism and having alcoholism are independent factors associated with sweet liking. However, two studies (Kranzler et al., 2001, Scinska et al., 2001) have shown no difference between preferences for sweeter sugar solutions in non-alcoholics who had a paternal family history of alcoholism and those who had no such history. Both groups preferred the relatively sweeter solutions. Similarly, Bogucka-Bonikowska et al. (2001) found that male alcoholics did not differ from controls with regard to their sucrose preferences.
To date, no human studies have been performed evaluating sweet liking in cocaine abusing/dependent patients. However, Kampov-Polevoy et al. (2001a) noted that preference for higher sucrose concentrations in alcoholics is related to polysubstance abuse. The purpose of the current study has been to evaluate the relationship of cocaine abuse/dependency to the degree of preference for high concentrations of sucrose solutions. We predicted that cocaine abusing or dependent individuals, currently in withdrawal, like the detoxified alcoholics observed in earlier studies, would show a preference for high concentration sucrose solutions over lower sucrose concentrations when compared to an inpatient control group.
Section snippets
Subjects
The subject group consisted of a total of 16 psychiatric inpatients with DSM IV diagnosed Cocaine Abuse or Cocaine Dependence and 16 inpatient controls, all with an affective disorder diagnosis. Patients were recruited from the acute inpatient psychiatric wards of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Neurosciences Hospital. The cocaine abusing/dependent group consisted of eight males and eight females. Their age was 34.6±6.6 years (mean±SD), with an age range of 23–47 years. Most had
Results
As shown in Fig. 1 and Table 1, patients in both diagnostic groups were able to determine relative differences in sucrose concentrations. As shown in Fig. 2 and Table 2, cocaine abusing/dependent patients were more likely than inpatient controls to be “sweet likers” (Fisher's Exact test—P=0.032). The most often preferred concentration of sucrose solution in the cocaine abusing/dependent group was 0.83 M, whereas in the depressed group it was 0.05 M, a statistically significant difference
Discussion
Our results suggest that cocaine abuse/dependence, like alcoholism, is differentially associated with a preference for the highest concentration (0.83 M) of sucrose administered, in contrast to the other concentrations offered. These data are consistent with the work of Gosnell (2000), who found that after stress, increased preference for sucrose solutions in rats was subsequently associated with an accelerated time frame for meeting criteria for cocaine self administration. They are also
Acknowledgments
The Richard King Mellon Family Foundation served as a source of funding.
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