Drug addiction is a serious public health problem. There is increasing evidence on the involvement of augmented glutamatergic transmission in cocaine-induced addiction and neurotoxicity. We investigated effects of acute or chronic cocaine administration and cocaine challenge following chronic cocaine exposure on the release of excitotoxic glutamate and neuroprotective taurine in the rat striatum by microdialysis. Cocaine challenge, following withdrawal after repeated cocaine exposure markedly increased the release of glutamate, which may cause neurotoxicity. Simultaneously, cocaine challenge after withdrawal also significantly increased the release of taurine, which counteracts glutamate-mediated excitotoxicity and possibly cell death. Thus, the mammalian brain has an endogenous self-protective mechanism against cocaine-mediated neurotoxicity and potentially addiction.