Effects of Serial Polydrug Use on the Rewarding and Aversive Effects of the Novel Synthetic Cathinone Eutylone
Hayley N. Manke, Samuel S. Nunn, Agnieszka Sulima, Kenner C. Rice, Anthony L. Riley
Brain Sciences September 7, 2023 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13091294 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Preclinical animal experiment Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Rats (nonhuman animals) |
| Interventions | Eutylone Cocaine MDMA |
| Measures | conditioned taste avoidance (CTA), conditioned place preference (CPP) |
| Citations | 6 |
| Key findings | Eutylone produced dose-dependent conditioned taste avoidance and conditioned place preference, and these rewarding and aversive endpoints were unrelated. Pre-exposure to MDMA and cocaine differentially altered eutylone-induced taste avoidance (MDMA greater than cocaine) but did not affect eutylone-induced place preference, suggesting drug history shapes some affective properties of eutylone. |
Abstract
Background: As individual synthetic cathinones become scheduled and regulated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), new ones regularly are produced and distributed. One such compound is eutylone, a novel third-generation synthetic cathinone whose affective properties (and abuse potential) are largely unknown. The following experiments begin to characterize these effects and how they may be impacted by drug history (a factor affecting reward/aversion for other drugs of abuse).
Methods: Eutylone was assessed for its ability to induce conditioned taste avoidance (CTA; aversive effect) and conditioned place preference (CPP; rewarding effect) and their relationship (Experiment 1). Following this, the effects of exposure to cocaine or 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine [MDMA] on eutylone's affective properties were investigated (Experiment 2).
Results: Eutylone produced dose-dependent CTA and CPP (Experiment 1), and these endpoints were unrelated. Pre-exposure to cocaine and MDMA differentially impacted taste avoidance induced by eutylone (MDMA > cocaine) and did not impact eutylone-induced place preference.
Conclusions: These data indicate that eutylone, like other synthetic cathinones, has co-occurring, independent rewarding and aversive effects that may contribute to its abuse potential and that these effects are differentially impacted by drug history. Although these studies begin the characterization of eutylone, future studies should examine the impact of other factors on eutylone's affective properties and its eventual reinforcing effects (i.e., intravenous self-administration [IVSA]) to predict its use and abuse liability.