Contributions of Non-Human Primates to the Understanding of Cocaine Addiction

Abstract

In this review, we aim to highlight the importance of neuropharmacological data, originated in non-human primate studies, towards our understanding of the mechanisms of cocaine addiction. Most studies in this field are undertaken with rodents as animal models, having provided over the years important knowledge on the behavioral, neurological and pharmacological mechanisms of drug addiction. There are, nonetheless, significant hormonal, neurochemical and neuroanatomical discrepancies between rodents and primates, particularly in reference to humans. Although the phylogenetic distance between humans-rodents, as opposed to humans-non-human primates may seem obvious, the impact this has on research findings is not always very evident. The gap in brain chemistry, neuronal organization and development, as well as behavioral diversity has serious implications in rodent models and limits somewhat their significance and generalization potential when trying to understand cocaine addiction – a phenomenon typical in humans. Due to ethical and important methodological restrictions on human testing, non-human primate (NHP) models are not only insightful, but also crucial to further the current scientific knowledge on this topic.