Relationship between intranasal cocaine self-administration and subject-rated effects: Predictors of cocaine taking on progressive-ratio schedules

Objective Subject-rated measures and drug self-administration represent two of the most commonly used methods of assessing abuse potential of drugs, as well as screening intervention efficacy in the human laboratory. Although the results from these methods are often consistent, dissociations between subject-rated and self-administration data have been observed. The purpose of the present retrospective analysis was to examine the relationship between subject-rated effects and intranasal cocaine self-administration to help guide future research design and intervention assessment. Methods Data were combined from two previous studies in which drug and an alternative reinforcer (i.e., money) were available on concurrent progressive-ratio schedules of reinforcement. Pearson correlation coefficients and regression model selection utilizing corrected Akaike information criterion were used to determine which subject-rated measures were associated with and best predicted cocaine self-administration. Results Eleven subject-rated effects were positively associated with cocaine-maintained breakpoints. A combination of three of these subject ratings (i.e., Like Drug, Performance Improved, and Rush) best predicted cocaine taking. Conclusions The present findings suggest that, at least under certain conditions with intranasal cocaine, some, but not all, positive subject-rated effects may predict drug self-administration. These findings will be useful in guiding future examinations of putative interventions for cocaine-use disorders.