Absence of methamphetamine-induced conditioned place preference in weaver mutant mice.

Methamphetamine did not induce rewarding effects in weaver mutant mice. The pNAc shell exhibited a significant difference in neuronal activity between wild-type and weaver mutant mice. The present results suggest that the absence of METH-induced CPP in weaver mutant mice is probably related to an innate reduction of dopamine and decreased neural activity in the pNAc shell that is partially attributable to the change of GIRK channel function. GIRK channels, especially those containing the GIRK2 subunit, appear to be involved in METH dependence.