Substance Use Disorders: Locomotor Sensitisation

Many drugs of abuse induce sensitisation to their own locomotor stimulant effects, described as locomotor or behavioural sensitization. The neural substrates of this effect are proposed as being fundamentally important in the progression towards habitual drug taking and addiction. We have developed a mouse model of locomotor sensitization that can be used to evaluate the ability of test compounds to reduce the acquisition or expression of the sensitized response.

Repeated dosing of d-amphetamine to mice results in a sensitized locomotor response compared to the acute response to the same dose

We also offer withdrawal alleviation approach, reinstatement model of drug relapse and cessation of drug self-administration.