Drug-induced place preference in rats with 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine lesions of the nucleus accumbens

The effect of Gly-Gln [ß-endorphin30-31] on morphine-evoked serotonin and GABA efflux in the nucleus accumbens of conscious rats

Glycyl-L-glutamine (Gly-Gln; β-endorphin30-31) is an endogenous dipeptide synthesized through the post-translational processing of β-endorphin1-31. Central Gly-Gln administration inhibits the rewarding properties of morphine and attenuates morphine tolerance, dependence and withdrawal although it does not interfere with morphine analgesia. In an earlier study, we found that Gly-Gln inhibits morphine-induced dopamine efflux in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), consistent with its ability to inhibit morphine reward. To further investigate the mechanism responsible for its central effects we tested whether i.c.v. Gly-Gln administration influences the rise in extracellular serotonin and GABA concentrations evoked by morphine in the NAc. Conscious rats were treated with Gly-Gln (100nmol/5μl) or saline i.c.v. followed, 2min later, by morphine (2.5mg/kg) or saline i.p. and extracellular serotonin and GABA concentrations were analyzed by microdialysis and HPLC. Morphine administration increased extracellular serotonin and GABA concentrations significantly within 20min, as shown previously. Unexpectedly, Gly-Gln also increased extracellular serotonin concentrations significantly in control animals. Combined treatment with Gly-Gln+morphine also elevated extracellular serotonin concentrations although the magnitude of the response did not differ significantly from the effect of Gly-Gln or morphine, given alone suggesting that Gly-Gln suppressed morphine induced serotonin efflux. Gly-Gln abolished the morphine-induced rise in extracellular GABA concentrations but had no effect on extracellular GABA when given alone to otherwise untreated animals. These data show that Gly-Gln stimulates NAc serotonin efflux and, together with earlier studies, support the hypothesis that Gly-Gln inhibits the rewarding effects of morphine by modulating morphine induced dopamine, GABA and serotonin efflux in the NAc.

The role of serotonin in drug use and addiction

The use of psychoactive drugs is a wide spread behaviour in human societies. The systematic use of a drug requires the establishment of different drug use-associated behaviours which need to be learned and controlled. However, controlled drug use may develop into compulsive drug use and addiction, a major psychiatric disorder with severe consequences for the individual and society. Here we review the role of the serotonergic (5-HT) system in the establishment of drug use-associated behaviours on the one hand and the transition and maintenance of addiction on the other hand for the drugs: cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, MDMA (ecstasy), morphine/heroin, cannabis, alcohol, and nicotine. Results show a crucial, but distinct involvement of the 5-HT system in both processes with considerable overlap between psychostimulant and opioidergic drugs and alcohol. A new functional model suggests specific adaptations in the 5-HT system, which coincide with the establishment of controlled drug use-associated behaviours. These serotonergic adaptations render the nervous system susceptible to the transition to compulsive drug use behaviours and often overlap with genetic risk factors for addiction. Altogether we suggest a new trajectory by which serotonergic neuroadaptations induced by first drug exposure pave the way for the establishment of addiction.

Aripiprazole blocks reinstatement but not expression of morphine conditioned place preference in rats

Aripiprazole is an atypical antipsychotic drug primarily characterized by partial agonist activity at dopamine(DA) D2 receptors and serotonin-1A (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT1A) receptors and minimal side effects.Based on its pharmacological profile, including stabilization of mesocorticolimbic DA activity (a pathway implicated in drug addiction), we investigated the effects of aripiprazole on relapse to morphine seeking in rats. In experiment 1, rats underwent morphine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) training with alternate injections of morphine (5 mg/kg, s.c.) and saline (1 ml/kg, s.c.) for 8 consecutive days. To examine the effect of aripiprazole on the expression of morphine-induced CPP, rats received aripiprazole (0, 0.03, 0.1,and 0.3 mg/kg, i.p.) 30 min before testing for the expression of CPP. In experiment 2, rats underwent the same CPP training as in experiment 1 and subsequent extinction training. To examine the effect of aripiprazole on reinstatement of morphine-induced CPP, rats received aripiprazole 30 min before testing for reinstatement of CPP. In experiment 3, to assess the effects of aripiprazole on locomotor activity, aripiprazole was administered 30 min before testing for locomotor activity. Aripiprazole significantly decreased the reinstatement of CPP induced by a priming injection of morphine but had no effect on the expression of morphine-induced CPP or locomotor activity. The D2 and 5-HT1A partial agonist and 5-HT2A antagonist properties of aripiprazole likely account for the blockade of relapse to drug seeking. These findings suggest that aripiprazole may have therapeutic value for reducing craving and preventing relapse to drug seeking.

Electrolytic lesions and pharmacological inhibition of the dorsal raphe nucleus prevent stressor potentiation of morphine conditioned place preference in rats

RATIONALE

Exposure to a single session of uncontrollable inescapable shock (IS), but not to identical controllable escapable shock, produces a potentiation of morphine's rewarding properties that is unusual in that the stressor can be given a number of days before the drug administration in an environment quite different from the drug context. Many other behavioral outcomes of stressors that depend on the uncontrollability of the stressor are mediated by alterations in serotonergic (5-HT) neurons within the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN).

OBJECTIVES

The present experiments examined the role of the DRN and 5-HT in mediating the effect of IS on the rewarding properties of morphine as assessed by conditioned place preference (CPP).

METHODS

In experiment 1, subjects received small electrolytic lesions of the DRN and were tested for morphine (3.0 mg/kg, SC) CPP after IS or control treatment. In experiment 2, subjects received an intra-DRN microinjection of the 5-HT(1A) agonist 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT, 1.0 microg/0.5 microl) either before IS or before morphine (3.0 mg/kg, SC) injections during CPP testing.

RESULTS

IS potentiated morphine CPP in controls, but both DRN lesion and intra-DRN 8-OH-DPAT, either before IS or before morphine administration, completely blocked this effect.

CONCLUSIONS

These data implicate alterations in DRN 5-HT neurons in the potentiation of morphine reward produced by uncontrollable stress.

Treatment with the atypical antipsychotic, olanzapine, prevents the expression of amphetamine-induced place conditioning in the rat

Place conditioning (PC) experiments were conducted as a means to further elaborate the treatment potential of the atypical antipsychotic, olanzapine (OLZ), for stimulant abuse. The resulting preference/aversion provides an indirect measure of the incentive salience (i.e., euphoria/dysphoria) produced by a drug. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=48) were conditioned in two unique environments (i.e., vertical vs. horizontal stripped walls, large vs. small grid flooring) using injections (1.0 mg/kg ip) of either amphetamine (AMPH) or saline (SAL). On average, animals displayed a significant preference for the AMPH-paired location after 2.5 weeks of conditioning (five pairings each of AMPH and SAL). Once the preference was established, animals were pretreated (60 min) with a single dose of OLZ (0.0, 0.56, 1.0 or 1.5 mg/kg sc) given on the test (AMPH-free) day. For the following week's test, animals were injected with SAL (1.0 mg/kg ip) in an attempt to recapture the side preference exhibited before OLZ treatment. OLZ treatment prevented the expression of the AMPH-conditioned preference and reduced locomotor activity. Inhibition of preference resulted from the highest dose of OLZ (1.5 mg/kg), while the inhibition of locomotor activity occurred across all three doses. Additionally, while the effects on preference were no longer apparent by the SAL test the following week (reversible), the activity was still depressed during the SAL tests in animals that had experienced the highest dose of OLZ (1.5 mg/kg). Control experiments, in which OLZ was used as the conditioning drug, suggest that OLZ itself possesses no aversive effects in the PC paradigm, and may even produce a preference for the drug-paired chamber. Because the AMPH preference is dependent on dopamine (DA) release in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), these experiments suggest that OLZ pretreatment interferes with the rewarding, as well as the subjective effects of AMPH.

Modulation of the locomotor properties of morphine and amphetamine by uncontrollable stress

We have recently demonstrated that exposure to a single session of inescapable shock (IS), but not to identical amounts and distributions of escapable shock (ES), increases the rewarding properties of morphine, as measured by conditioned place preference (CPP). Interestingly, we also found that exposure to IS has no effect, or even interferes with amphetamine CPP. The present study explored whether the potentiating effect of IS on morphine reward, but not amphetamine reward, would generalize to the locomotor properties of these drugs. The locomotor response to morphine and amphetamine was measured 120 h following exposure to either IS or home cage control (HCC) treatment. On test day, the activity of all subjects was measured for 1 h before and 3 h after drug administration. The results demonstrated that exposure to IS potentiated the locomotor response to morphine, while having no effect on the response to amphetamine. An additional study investigated whether the effects of IS on the locomotor properties of morphine were sensitive to stressor controllability, by comparing the influence of IS, ES, or control treatment. Again, IS potentiated the locomotor properties of morphine, while exposure to ES and control treatment had no effect.

Gender and gonadal hormone effects in the olfactory bulbectomy animal model of depression

Major depressive disorder (MDD) affects women to a greater extent then men; however, the few studies that have examined the role of gender in an animal model of depression have shown inconsistent results. The purpose of the present study was to determine if the gonadal hormone milieu of the animal modulated behavioral changes following olfactory bulbectomy (OBX), a well-documented animal model of depression. Body weight, sucrose preference levels and open-field activity levels were measured once a week for a period of 2 weeks in gonadally intact and gonadectomized male and female rats. Following these baseline measurements, animals underwent either OBX or sham surgery. Body weight, sucrose preference and activity levels were assessed for 4 weeks post-OBX surgery. OBX-gonadectomized animals exhibited higher activity levels than OBX gonadally intact and control animals. This effect of gonadectomy was more robust in males. OBX-females (both intact and gonadectomized) exhibited significantly lower sucrose preference levels than OBX-males (both intact and gonadectomized) and control animals. These results suggest that the gonadal hormone milieu of the animal plays a role in modulating sucrose preference and activity levels following OBX.

Potentiation of opioid-induced conditioned place preference by the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine

The ability of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, fluoxetine, to modify the effects of morphine, N-((S)-2-benzyl-3[(S) 2-amino-4-methylthio)butyldithio-]-1-oxopropyl)-L-alanine benzylester (RB 120; mixed inhibitor of enkephalin metabolism), and 4-¿[2-[[3-(1H-indol-3-yl))-2-methyl-1-oxo-2-[[(tricyclo[3,3,1,1] dec-2-yloxy) carbonyl] amino¿ propyl] amino]-1-phenylethyl] amino¿-4-oxo-[R-(R*,R*)]-butanoate N-methyl-D-glucamine (CI 988; cholecystokinin receptor subtype [CCK(2)] antagonist), was assessed using conditioned place preference. RB 120 and morphine both induced significant, dose-dependent conditioned place preference, whilst CI 988 failed to elicit conditioned place preference. A subthreshold dose of fluoxetine (2.5 mg/kg) potentiated the morphine submaximal response. Notably, the combination of a subthreshold dose of fluoxetine (2.5 mg/kg) with RB 120 (5 mg/kg) or CI 988 (3 mg/kg) was devoid of any significant conditioned place preference properties. Fluoxetine may act via enhanced serotonergic activity to modulate enkephalinergic tone. Agents that increase enkephalinergic tone more directly such as RB 120 and CI 988, at submaximal doses, did not induce conditioned place preference when co-administered with fluoxetine. These data suggest that fluoxetine, in combination with CI 988 or RB 120, might prove to be a beneficial treatment strategy for opioid drug addiction, though further studies are necessary.

Measuring reward with the conditioned place preference paradigm: a comprehensive review of drug effects, recent progress and new issues

This review gives an overview of recent findings and developments in research on brain mechanisms of reward and reinforcement from studies using the place preference conditioning paradigm, with emphasis on those studies that have been published within the last decade. Methodological issues of the paradigm (such as design of the conditioning apparatus, biased vs unbiased conditioning, state dependency effects) are discussed. Results from studies using systemic and local (intracranial) drug administration, natural reinforcers, and non-drug treatments and from studies examining the effects of lesions are presented. Papers reporting on conditioned place aversion (CPA) experiments are also included. A special emphasis is put on the issue of tolerance and sensitization to the rewarding properties of drugs. Transmitter systems that have been investigated with respect to their involvement in brain reward mechanisms include dopamine, opioids, acetylcholine, GABA, serotonin, glutamate, substance P, and cholecystokinin, the motivational significance of which has been examined either directly, by using respective agonist or antagonist drugs, or indirectly, by studying the effects of these drugs on the reward induced by other drugs. For a number of these transmitters, detailed studies have been conducted to delineate the receptor subtype(s) responsible for the mediation of the observed drug effects, particularly in the case of dopamine, the opioids, serotonin and glutamate. Brain sites that have been implicated in the mediation of drug-induced place conditioning include the 'traditional' brain reward sites, ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens, but the medial prefrontal cortex, ventral pallidum, amygdala and the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus have also been shown to play important roles in the mediation of place conditioning induced by drugs or natural reinforcers. Thus, although the paradigm has also been criticized because of some inherent methodological problems, it is clear that during the past decade place preference conditioning has become a valuable and firmly established and very widely used tool in behavioural pharmacology and addiction research.

Acute iboga alkaloid effects on extracellular serotonin (5-HT) levels in nucleus accumbens and striatum in rats

The iboga alkaloid, ibogaine, its metabolite, noribogaine, and the congener, 18-methoxycoronaridine (18-MC) have all been claimed to have anti-addictive properties in animal models, but the mechanisms underlying these effects are unclear. Ibogaine and noribogaine were shown to have affinity for the serotonin transporter, and inhibition of serotonin reuptake has been proposed to be involved in their anti-addictive actions. It is not known yet if 18-MC also has this property. In vivo microdialysis and HPLC (microbore) were used to determine acute changes in extracellular serotonin levels in nucleus accumbens (NAC) and striatum (STR) after both i.p. (40 mg/kg for all drugs) and i.v. (1-10 mg/kg for ibogaine and noribogaine) drug administration in awake freely moving female Sprague-Dawley rats (250-275 g). After i.p. administration, ibogaine, noribogaine and 18-MC had very different effects on extracellular serotonin levels in both NAC and STR: ibogaine elicited large increases (up to 25-fold in NAC and 10- fold in STR), noribogaine produced moderate increases (up to 8-fold in NAC and 5-fold in STR), and 18-MC had no effect in either brain region. These and other data suggest that (1) the serotonergic system may not be an essential factor in the anti-addictive actions of these drugs; (2) ibogaine (or an unidentified metabolite) may release serotonin as well as inhibit its reuptake; (3) stimulation of the ascending serotonergic system may mediate ibogaine's hallucinogenic effect; and (4) 18-MC probably has no affinity for the serotonin transporter, and is unlikely to be a hallucinogen.

Median raphe injections of 8-OH-DPAT lower frequency thresholds for lateral hypothalamic self-stimulation

The selective 5-HT1A agonist 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) reduces the activity of brain 5-HT neurons via somatodendritic autoreceptors located in the midbrain raphe nuclei. This action of 8-OH-DPAT results in reduced 5-HT synthesis and release of 5-HT in terminal regions. Previous studies have shown that injecting 8-OH-DPAT into the raphe nuclei stimulates feeding, sexual behaviour, and locomotor activity, and serves as an unconditioned stimulus for inducing a conditioned place preference. This behavioural profile suggests that raphe injections of 8-OH-DPAT facilitate reward-related behaviour. The present study tested this hypothesis by investigating the effects of median raphe injections of 8-OH-DPAT on sensitivity to lateral hypothalamic (LH) self-stimulation. Frequencies required to sustain half-maximal rates of responding were determined following injection of saline or various doses of 8-OH-DPAT (0.2-5 micrograms) into the median raphe. In four rats with accurate injection sites 8-OH-DPAT dose-dependently lowered frequency thresholds by up to 40%. In the remaining rats injection sites were located outside the median raphe, and 8-OH-DPAT either slightly raised or failed to lower frequency thresholds. These results show that 8-OH-DPAT injected into the median raphe facilitates brain stimulation reward, and suggest that acute reductions in 5-HT neurotransmission may enhance sensitivity to rewarding stimuli. The possible interactions between 5-HT neurons and efferent systems utilizing dopamine and acetylcholine as neurotransmitters in mediating this effect are discussed.

Relationship between dopamine release in nucleus accumbens and place preference induced by substance P injected into the nucleus basalis magnocellularis region

The activity of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the nucleus accumbens is considered to be an important element in the central processing of reinforcement. Unilateral administration of the neurokinin substance P into the area of the nucleus basalis magnocellularis of rats was found to be reinforcing, as assessed by the conditioned place preference paradigm. Simultaneous in vivo microdialysis showed that administration of substance P into the area of the nucleus basalis magnocellularis could increase extracellular concentrations of dopamine in the contralateral nucleus accumbens. Only those animals in which the administration of substance P induced this increase in dopamine levels acquired place preference. Furthermore, the changes in extracellular dopamine levels after substance P administration had a bimodal time course with an acute increase (to about 160% of baseline) during the first hour after injection, with a low (to 120-130%) and enduring increase occurring thereafter. Interestingly, during this second increase there were indications for positive correlations with the degree of place preference induced by substance P. Further positive correlations with place preference were found in the levels of the serotonergic metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid. In contrast to dopamine, these were observed ipsi- and contralateral to the side of substance P administration. By combining the methods of in vivo microdialysis and conditioned place preference it was shown that the reinforcing effect induced by unilateral substance P injection in the nucleus basalis magnocellularis is related to dopaminergic (and possibly serotonergic) mechanisms in the nucleus accumbens.

Influence of 5-HT3 receptor antagonists and the indirect 5-HT agonist, dexfenfluramine, on heroin self-administration in rats

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of the 5-HT3 antagonists ondansetron and MDL72222, and the 5-HT releaser and reuptake inhibitor dexfenfluramine, on intravenous heroin self-administration by Wistar rats. Using separate squads of animals, two separate schedules of heroin reinforcement were used; a relatively low dose (0.03 mg/kg per infusion) made available under a FR5 schedule for 1 h each day, and a moderate heroin dose (0.1 mg/kg per infusion) available under a FR1 schedule for 2 h each day. Following the acquisition of stable levels of responding across days, both naloxone pretreatment (0.25 mg/kg SC) and halving the heroin infusion dose produced increases in operant responding for heroin at each concentration. Neither ondansetron (0.01-1 mg/kg SC) nor MDL72222 (0.1-3 mg/kg SC) pretreatment influenced heroin self-administration. Chronic treatment (5 day) of ondansetron (0.01-0.1 mg/kg) was similarly ineffective. However, dexfenfluramine (0.5-2.5 mg/kg IP) consistently reduced heroin self-administration at doses producing only modest decreases in food responding. These findings are in contrast to place conditioning studies, which show that 5-HT3 antagonists but not indirect 5-HT agonists block a morphine-induced place preference. Reasons for such discrepancies remain to be determined.

Trends in place preference conditioning with a cross-indexed bibliography; 1957-1991

The purpose of this work is to present a perspective of the conditioned place preference (CPP) test by offering an overview of the empirical research from 1957-1991. The intent is not to extensively analyze the controversies inherent to any behavioral technique but rather to present a survey of research using a descriptive statistics approach to explore topical issues. The objectives of this work are three-fold: (a) to provide an exhaustive bibliography of the CPP literature including articles, journal abstracts, book chapters and critical reviews; (b) to provide a cross-index of identified key words/drugs tested; and (c) to give an overview of selected procedural issues underlying CPP testing.

The Psychopharmacology of 5-HT3Receptors

5-HT3 receptors have an exclusive neuronal location and evidence is presented of their involvement in behaviour. 5-HT3 receptor antagonists such as ondansetron, tropisetron and zacopride have provided the critical pharmacological tools to reveal a potent and efficacious ability to regulate disturbed behaviour. Thus the 5-HT3 receptor antagonists will restore to normal rodent and primate behaviour disturbed by increasing limbic dopamine function, aversive situations, cognitive impairments and drug abuse. The remarkable feature of their action is a failure to modify normal behaviour. This unique pharmacological signature has ensured a wide interest in the potential role of the 5-HT3 receptor antagonists in the treatment of schizophrenia, anxiety, age related memory impairment and the problems of withdrawal from drugs of abuse. The preclinical data and preliminary clinical observations are presented.

Effect of the 5-HT3 receptor antagonists, MDL72222 and ondansetron on morphine place conditioning

The purpose of the present study was to reassess the original findings of Carboni et al. (1988) who suggested that 5-HT3 receptor antagonists may block morphine-induced place conditioning in rats. These workers used a biased protocol with treatments allocated to compartments based on initial preference. In the present study we have adopted an unbiased approach with treatments randomly assigned to conditioning compartment in a counter-balanced fashion. Thus treatments were equally paired between distinct environmental cues. Using this protocol, morphine produced a dose-related place preference (0.3-3 mg/kg SC). Thirty-minute pretreatment with the selective 5-HT3 antagonists, MDL72222 (1 mg/kg SC) and ondansetron (0.01 mg/kg SC) before morphine (1.5 mg/kg SC), significantly antagonized the place conditioning to this treatment. However, with higher doses of ondansetron (0.1-1 mg/kg SC), the antagonism of morphine-induced place preference became variable and dependent on the conditioning compartment. This was probably a reflection of the fact that ondansetron when administered alone also appeared to produce an environmentally dependent place conditioning at these doses. Therefore it is concluded that at certain doses, 5-HT3 receptor antagonists may antagonize morphine place conditioning in a manner consistent with a blockade of the appetitive effects of this drug. However, at higher doses, at least with ondansetron, this antagonism became non-specific and dependent on the training environment. It is suggested that other animal models of opioid reinforcement (e.g., self-administration) are now needed to validate the hypothesis that 5-HT3 receptor antagonists may modify opioid reward.

The amphetamine conditioned place preference: differential involvement of dopamine receptor subtypes and two dopaminergic terminal areas

We investigated involvement of dopamine receptor subtypes and two dopaminergic terminal areas in the acquisition and the expression of the amphetamine conditioned place preference (CPP). When injected systemically before conditioning, both D1 and D2 dopamine antagonists blocked acquisition in a dose-dependent manner. When injected systemically before testing, the effects of the same D1 and D2 antagonists differed. The selective D1 antagonist SCH23390 dose-dependently blocked expression of the previously established conditioned behavior within the dose range that also blocked acquisition. In contrast, D2 antagonists failed to block expression of the amphetamine CPP at doses which blocked acquisition. Expression was, however, blocked by higher doses of D2 antagonists, which may have lost their selectivity for the D2 dopamine receptor. The expression of the CPP was also blocked by microinjections of SCH23390 or sulpiride into nucleus accumbens, but not into striatum. In a control experiment, sodium pentobarbital, which significantly reduced spontaneous locomotor activity in a manner similar to the higher doses of the dopamine antagonists, had no effect on the expression of the amphetamine CPP when given before testing. Finally, electrolytic lesions of the dorsal striatum potentiated the amphetamine CPP. These findings indicate that the dopamine released by amphetamine interacts with both D1 and D2 dopamine receptors to establish a CPP, but that the expression of the CPP may involve activation of the D1 dopamine receptor in the nucleus accumbens.

Place conditioning with dopamine D1 and D2 agonists injected peripherally or into nucleus accumbens

The conditioned place preference technique was used to assess the affective properties of the direct dopamine D1 agonist, SKF38393, and the direct D2 agonist, LY171555 (quinpirole). A three compartment apparatus was used: the animals' pre-experimental preference for the two choice compartments was equal and, within each experimental group, half the rats received drug pairings in each choice compartment. Intraperitoneal injections of SKF38393 produced conditioned place aversions at all doses tested (1.0-4.0 mg/kg); LY171555 produced weak conditioned place preferences at 1.0 and 2.0 mg/kg, but no reliable effect at 4.0 mg/kg. Bilateral intra-accumbens microinjections of SKF38393 produced strong preferences at all doses tested (0.5-2.0 micrograms/side); LY171555 produced strong preferences at two doses (0.5 and 1.0 micrograms/side) and no effect at a third dose (2.0 micrograms/side). These results suggest that activation of either D1 or D2 receptors in the nucleus accumbens can produce reward, and that D1 receptors (and possibly also D2 receptors) located elsewhere in the brain or in the periphery may mediate aversive effects.

Naloxone blockade of amphetamine place preference conditioning

Amphetamine and naloxone were examined in place conditioning, in order to study possible interactions between endogenous opioids and catecholamines in reinforcement. After initial preferences were determined, animals were conditioned with amphetamine alone (1.0 mg/kg SC), naloxone alone (0.02, 0.2 or 2.0 mg/kg SC) or combinations of amphetamine plus naloxone. A reliable, long-lasting preference for the compartment associated with amphetamine was observed, reflecting the reinforcing properties of this drug. No preference or aversion was observed in animals that received saline in both compartments. Naloxone (0.02, 0.2 and 2.0 mg/kg) produced a dose-dependent place aversion; while the lowest dose had effects similar to saline, the higher doses produced significant place aversions. Naloxone, at all three doses examined, prevented the ability of amphetamine to produce a place preference. Thus, the lowest dose of naloxone, having no effects alone in place conditioning was still able to block the reinforcing effects of amphetamine. These results suggest that the reinforcing effects of amphetamine are dependent on activation of opiate receptors, and provide further evidence that interactions between endogenous opioids and catecholamines may be important in reinforcement.

The reserpine-sensitive dopamine pool mediates (+)-amphetamine-conditioned reward in the place preference paradigm

The neural basis of amphetamine-conditioned reward was investigated in the conditioned place preference paradigm. When bilaterally injected into the nucleus accumbens before the test session, a dopamine receptor blocker, alpha-flupenthixol, blocked the expression of the amphetamine-conditioned place preference. alpha-Flupenthixol had no significant effect on spontaneous locomotor activity. Bilateral microinjections of a tyrosine hydroxylase inhibitor, alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine (alpha-MPT), decreased (+)-amphetamine locomotor stimulation in a dose-dependent fashion. Two doses of alpha-MPT that completely blocked (+)-amphetamine locomotor stimulation had no effect on the expression of the conditioned place preference when injected into the nucleus accumbens before testing. Reserpine administered subcutaneously before testing blocked the expression of the conditioned place preference. A dose of reserpine (4.0 mg/kg), which completely blocked the conditioned place preference, did not attenuate (+)-amphetamine-induced locomotor stimulation. This dose of reserpine depleted dopamine in the nucleus accumbens to 4% of its normal value. These data show that (+)-amphetamine-conditioned reward, expressed as a conditioned place preference, is mediated by dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens. Moreover, the dopamine is released from the reserpine sensitive pool, and probably not from the newly synthesized alpha-MPT-sensitive pool.

The use of place conditioning in studying the neuropharmacology of drug reinforcement

The place conditioning paradigm has proven successful in identifying the neural mechanisms of drug reinforcement. Two classes of drugs, opiates and psychomotor stimulants, have received the most study, and in each case an important role for DA neurons of the mesolimbic system has been established. Moreover, both receptor subtypes, D1 and D2, appear to be involved. Despite this progress, the substrates of drug reward are not completely understood. First, a role for DA has not been established for all stimulants: DA receptor blockade failed to affect conditioned place preferences produced by the stimulants methylphenidate, nomifensine, or bupropion. Second, preliminary evidence suggests that intact serotonergic transmission is important in morphine place conditioning, but a similar consistent finding has not been observed with amphetamine place conditioning. Further study may reveal an interesting dissociation of serotonin's role in the rewarding effects of psychomotor stimulants and opiates. Finally, the role of the opiate receptor subtype kappa is not known; also, the significance of the several anatomical sites that support opiate place conditioning remains unclear.