Astrocytes are the most numerous glial cell of the brain, and are implicated in various psychiatric disorders including addiction. Previous research on male rats demonstrates cocaine-induced changes in surface area, volume, and synaptic colocalization in astrocytes of the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a reward center of the brain. However, it is unknown whether the effects of cocaine on astrocytes in male rats are also observed in females. Thus, the goal of my Honors Thesis was to test the hypothesis that prolonged abstinence following cocaine self-administration (SA) would lead to a reduction in morphometric features and synaptic colocalization of NAc astrocytes in female rats. Twenty-four female Sprague-Dawley rats underwent 10-days of long-access (6 h/day) self-administration of cocaine or saline, followed by 45 days of abstinence. Fluorescently-labelled astrocytes in the NAc were imaged and analyzed for morphological properties and synaptic colocalization. My results revealed no significant differences between saline and cocaine groups in astrocyte morphology and synaptic contact, suggesting the effects of cocaine on astrocytes in male rats do not extend to females. This study demonstrates a sex difference in the cellular effects of cocaine self-administration, and indicates that female astrocytes may display protective factors against cocaine-induced astrocyte retraction.Bachelor of Scienc
