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Naloxone as a stimulus for drug discrimination learning
Author(s) -
Kautz Mary A.,
Geter Beth,
McBride Sharon A.,
Mastropaolo John P.,
Riley Anthony L.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
drug development research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.582
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1098-2299
pISSN - 0272-4391
DOI - 10.1002/ddr.430160225
Subject(s) - saccharin , (+) naloxone , narcotic antagonist , naloxone hydrochloride , morphine , naltrexone , pharmacology , taste aversion , opiate , opioid antagonist , psychology , stimulus (psychology) , anesthesia , antagonist , medicine , taste , neuroscience , psychotherapist , receptor
Animals injected with the opiate antagonist naloxone hydrochloride prior to a saccharin‐LiCl pairing and with its vehicle prior to saccharin alone rapidly acquired drug discrimination, avoiding saccharin following the administration of naloxone and consuming saccharin following its vehicle after only three conditioning trials. Control subjects for which naloxone never signalled a saccharin‐LiCl pairing consumed saccharin following both naloxone and vehicle administration. During dose substitution sessions, animals displayed greater drug‐appropriate responding as the dose of naloxone increased. When a range of doses of naltrexone was given in place of naloxone prior to saccharin access, subjects displayed dose‐dependent naloxone‐appropriate responding. When a range of doses of morphine was substituted for naloxone, subjects displayed vehicle‐appropriate responding at all doses. The fact that naloxone was an effective stimulus at low doses and with minimal training suggests that the conditioned taste aversion procedure is a sensitive index of drug discrimination learning.