National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program

Position

Post-doctoral Visiting Fellow, Integrative Neurobiology Section

Contact

Triad Technology Center
333 Cassell Drive
Room 4500
Baltimore, MD 21224

Email: william.sanchez@intra.nida.nih.gov

Education

Ph.D. – Biochemistry at Federal University of Paraná (UFPR). Curitiba, Brazil. Supervisor Dr. Claudio da Cunha. (Current)

M.S. Chemical and Biochemical Processes at Federal University of Technology – Paraná (UTFPR). Pato Branco, Brazil. Supervisor Dr. Mario da Cunha. (2016)

B.S. Chem. at District University Francisco Jose de Caldas (UDFJC). Bogotá, Colombia. Supervisor Magda Alvarado at Moisses Wasserman lab – LIBBIQ-INS. (2013)

Selected Publications

2021

Sanchez, William N; Pochapski, Jose A; Jessen, Leticia F; Ellenberger, Marek; Schwarting, Rainer K; Robinson, Donita L; Andreatini, Roberto; Cunha, Claudio Da

Diazepam attenuates the effects of cocaine on locomotion, 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations and phasic dopamine in the nucleus accumbens of rats Journal Article

In: Br J Pharmacol, 2021, ISSN: 1476-5381.

Abstract | Links | BibTeX

@article{pmid34389975,

title = {Diazepam attenuates the effects of cocaine on locomotion, 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations and phasic dopamine in the nucleus accumbens of rats},

author = {William N Sanchez and Jose A Pochapski and Leticia F Jessen and Marek Ellenberger and Rainer K Schwarting and Donita L Robinson and Roberto Andreatini and Claudio Da Cunha},

url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34389975/},

doi = {10.1111/bph.15658},

issn = {1476-5381},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-08-01},

urldate = {2021-08-01},

journal = {Br J Pharmacol},

abstract = {BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Currently, there is no effective drug to treat cocaine-use disorder, which affects millions of people worldwide. Benzodiazepines are potential therapeutic candidates, as microdialysis and voltammetry studies have shown that they can decrease dopamine concentrations in the nucleus accumbens of rodents and block the increase in dopamine levels and appetitive 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) induced by amphetamine in rats.



EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Here, we tested whether administration of 2.5-mg·kg diazepam (i.p.) in adult male rats could block the effects of 20-mg·kg cocaine (i.p.) on electrically evoked phasic dopamine signals in the nucleus accumbens measured by fast-scan cyclic voltammetry, as well as 50-kHz USV and locomotor activity.



KEY RESULTS: Cocaine injection increased evoked dopamine signals up to threefold within 5 min, and the increase was significantly higher than baseline for at least 75 min. The injection of diazepam, 5 min after cocaine, attenuated the cocaine effect by nearly 50%, and this attenuation was maintained for at least 40 min. Behaviourally, cocaine increased the number of appetitive 50-kHz calls by about 12-fold. Diazepam significantly blocked this effect for the entire duration of the session. Also, cocaine-treated rats were more active than controls and diazepam significantly attenuated cocaine-induced locomotion, by up to 50%.



CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: These results suggest that the neurochemical and psychostimulant effects of cocaine can be mitigated by diazepam.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}