A dopamine D3 receptor partial agonist blocks the expression of conditioned activity

The partial dopamine D3 receptor agonist BP 897 attenuates cocaine seeking suggesting that BP 897 will attenuate conditioned activity to environmental stimuli paired with amphetamine. During conditioning, amphetamine (2.0 mg/kg) stimulated activity and co-treatment with BP 897 (1.0 mg/kg) had no effect. In the saline test, groups conditioned with amphetamine or amphetamine plus BP 897 showed conditioned activity. Treatment with BP 897 in the test following conditioning with saline produced no significant effect but following conditioning with amphetamine BP 897 blocked conditioned activity. Results extend previous findings that BP 897 attenuates responding for cocaine-paired stimuli to amphetamine-paired stimuli in a different paradigm and support the potential of BP 897 as a therapeutic agent for the prevention of drug seeking. NeuroReport 13:173-176 (C) 2002 Lippincott Williams Wilkins.