RT Journal Article T1 Cocaine-conditioned place preference is predicted by previous anxiety-like behavior and is related to an increased number of neurons in the basolateral amygdala A1 Ladrón de Guevara-Miranda, David A1 Pavón, Francisco Javier A1 Serrano, Antonia A1 Rivera-González, Patricia A1 Estivill-Torrús, Guillermo A1 Suárez, Juan A1 Rodriguez-de-Fonseca, Fernando A1 Santín-Núñez, Luis Javier A1 Castilla-Ortega, María Estela A1 Serrano, Antonia K1 Cocaína AB The identification of behavioral traits that could predict an individual's susceptibility to engage in cocaine addiction is relevant for understanding and preventing this disorder, but investigations of cocaine addicts rarely allow us to determinate whether their behavioral attributes are a cause or a consequence of drug use. To study the behaviors that predict cocaine vulnerability, male C57BL/6J mice were examined in a battery of tests (the elevated plus maze, hole-board, novelty preference in the Y-Maze, episodic-like object recognition and forced swimming) prior to training in a cocaine-conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm to assess the reinforcing value of the drug. In a second study, the anatomical basis of high and low CPP in the mouse brain was investigated by studying the number of neurons (neuronal nuclei-positive) in two addiction-related limbic regions (the medial prefrontal cortex and the basolateral amygdala) and the number of dopaminergic neurons (tyrosine hydroxylase-positive) in the ventral tegmental area by immunohistochemistry and stereology. Correlational analyses revealed that CPP behavior was successfully predicted by anxiety-like measures in the elevated plus maze (i.e., the more anxious mice showed more preference for the cocaine-paired compartment) but not by the other behaviors analyzed. In addition, increased numbers of neurons were found in the basolateral amygdala of the high CPP mice, a key brain center for anxiety and fear responses. The results support the theory that anxiety is a relevant factor for cocaine vulnerability, and the basolateral amygdala is a potential neurobiological substrate where both anxiety and cocaine vulnerability could overlap. PB Elsevier YR 2016 FD 2016-02-01 LK https://hdl.handle.net/10630/34086 UL https://hdl.handle.net/10630/34086 LA eng NO Ladrón de Guevara-Miranda, D., Pavón, F. J., Serrano, A., Rivera, P., Estivill-Torrús, G., Suárez, J., Rodríguez de Fonseca, F., Santín, L. J., & Castilla-Ortega, E. (2016). Cocaine-conditioned place preference is predicted by previous anxiety-like behavior and is related to an increased number of neurons in the basolateral amygdala. Behavioural brain research, 298(Pt B), 35–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2015.10.048 NO Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad & Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (UE-FEDER) (PSI2013-44901-P); Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISC-III), Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, UE-FEDER (CP12/03109); Consejería de Salud y Bienestar Social de la Junta de Andalucía (PI0228-2013, PI0823-2012); Red de Trastornos Adictivos UE-FEDER 2012 (RD12/0028/0001); Plan Nacional sobre Drogas 049/2013; Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte (FPU13/04819); Sistema Nacional de Salud, ISC-III (CD12/00455, CP12/03109, CP14/00212, CP14/00173); Consejerías de Igualdad, Salud y Políticas Sociales de la Junta de Andalucía (Programa Nicolás Monardes). DS RIUMA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Málaga RD 19 ene 2026