Nonhuman Primate Self-Administration in Assessments of Abuse Potential

Studies of drug self-administration and dependence in laboratory animals are critical components in the Food and Drug Administration's assessment of the abuse potential of drugs. This chapter describes the use of nonhuman primates (NHPs) for such assessments. NHPs are more similar to humans in brain anatomy, connectivity, and neurochemistry than other species, particularly in the brain areas that mediate the reinforcing effects of drugs. As a result of being closely phylogenetically related to humans, NHPs are often the most appropriate species for modeling the pharmacokinetics of drugs in humans. From an experimental perspective, the use of NHPs permits longitudinal studies in which several variables can be manipulated over an extended period of time to more fully assess the abuse potential of a drug and the long-term consequences of drug treatment. Moreover, the sophisticated behavioral and cognitive repertoire of monkeys renders them preferred subjects for studies that use complex schedules of reinforcement that best model the conditions in which humans abuse drugs.