Lidocaine Inactivation of Ventral Subiculum Attenuates Cocaine-Seeking Behavior in Rats

The role of the ventral subiculum in cocaine- or cue-induced cocaine-seeking behavior was investigated in rats tested on a between-session reinstatement model. Rats were trained to self-administer cocaine (0.25 mg/infusion, i.v.) in a lever-pressing operant task in a daily 2 hr session. Responding was reinforced contingent on a modified fixed-ratio 5 schedule. Reinstatement tests began after the lever-pressing behavior was extinguished in the absence of cocaine and conditioned cues (light and tone). Bilateral microinjections of lidocaine (100 microg) into the ventral subiculum decreased cocaine- or cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior compared with saline microinjections into the same area in another group of rats. Lidocaine microinjections, however, had no effect on cocaine self-administration behavior or food-maintained or food-reinstated responding. Collectively, these results suggest that the ventral subiculum plays an important role in cocaine-seeking behavior. Considering the role of this structure in context learning, our data suggest that the full expression of cocaine- or cue-induced reinstatement may depend on the context in which the cocaine experience occurred.