Tacrine Effects on Cocaine Self-Administration and Pharmacokinetics

Summary

No medications are currently available for treatment of psychostimulant addiction, a compulsive preoccupation with use of cocaine and related compounds. Tacrine, a medication that is currently prescribed for Alzheimer's disease, can decrease the amount of cocaine injections that laboratory animals choose to inject by vein. This project will determine if tacrine can also decrease cocaine-motivated behavior for human subjects in a laboratory setting.

Timeline

Start

2012-10

Primary completion

2013-09

Completion

2013-11

Outcome

Outcome not reported

Stopped: “One of the study medications, tacrine, is no longer clinically available”

Publications

• Background Grasing K, He S, Yang Y. Dose-related effects of the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor tacrine on cocaine and food self-administration in rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2008 Jan;196(1):133-42. doi: 10.1007/s00213-007-0944-3. Epub 2007 Oct 5.
• Background Grasing K, He S, Yang Y. Long-lasting decreases in cocaine-reinforced behavior following treatment with the cholinesterase inhibitor tacrine in rats selectively bred for drug self-administration. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2009 Nov;94(1):169-78. doi: 10.1016/j.pbb.2009.08.004. Epub 2009 Aug 19.

Drugs

Indications