Published in Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 8, 163-176, 2000. A complete copy my be requested from author.

Active Cocaine Immunization Attenuates the Discriminative Properties of Cocaine

Matthew W. Johnson and R. H. Ettinger

Department of Psychology
Eastern Oregon University
La Grande, OR 97850 USA

Abstract

Anti-cocaine antibody, resulting from immunization with the cocaine-keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) conjugate, weakened the ability of a 5.0 mg/kg dose of cocaine to act as a discriminative stimulus in rats. Subjects were given extensive training to discriminate cocaine from saline prior to immunization. Several weeks following immunization subjects made fewer correct discrimination responses after cocaine injection as compared to pre-immunization trials and as compared to control subjects. These results further demonstrate that active immunization is effective in blunting cocaine effects. Immunized subjects were able to discriminate high doses (20mg/kg) of cocaine, however. This suggests that anti-cocaine antibody may be overwhelmed by large doses of cocaine.