Intrathecal cocaine delivery enables long-access self-administration with binge-like behavior in mice

Rationale Long-access intravenous drug self-administration shows diurnal alterations in drug intake, with escalation and binge patterns, in rats. A similar long-access model in mice would allow the use of genetically modified animals to better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying drug addiction and relapse. However, attempts to transfer this model to mice have been less successful, mainly because of technical difficulties with long-term maintenance of the indwelling catheter implanted into small veins.