Title: Characterizing the Oxytocinergic Circuitry in a Rodent Cocaine Addiction Model

(Research Advisor: Josephine Johns, PhD,
Biology Sponsor: Walter Bollenbacher, PhD)

Thomas M. Jarrett

Rat dams exposed to cocaine become more aggressive and less attentive mothers, and chronic exposure decreases oxytocin levels in regions of the rat brain involved in the regulation of maternal behavior.  These two findings led us to investigate how cocaine influences the oxytocinergic circuitry of the rat brain.  Rat dams treated during gestation with either cocaine or saline will be tested for differences in expression of oxytocin and oxytocin receptors, using both autoradiography and in situ hybridization methods. 
Biochemical differences in key regions of the brain between these treatment groups would be evidence that oxytocin plays a role in regulating maternal behavior and aggression in rats.  Ultimately, the findings of this study could facilitate the development of new therapies for cocaine addicts, involving the pharmacological regulation of neurological oxytocin levels.  Oxytocin therapies could significantly improve the behavior of cocaine addicted mothers and improve their treatment of their children.