This study assessed the reinforcing properties of successful intermale agonistic encounters between OF1 male mice using the conditioned place preference paradigm. A three compartment apparatus was used and the procedure consisted of three phases: preconditioning (3 days), conditioning (8 days) and postconditioning (3 tests). Individually housed male mice were allocated to two groups. The aggres...

Adolescence in humans represents a unique developmental time point associated with increased risk-taking behavior and experimentation with drugs of abuse. We hypothesized that exposure to drugs of abuse during adolescence may increase the risk of addiction in adulthood. To test this, rats were treated with a subchronic regimen of morphine or saline in adolescence, and their preference for morph...

Besides its role in desensitization and internalization of receptors, β-arrestin2 facilitates G protein-independent signaling through its ability to scaffold various signaling molecules. β-arrestin2 is widely distributed in the central nervous system, and mediates signal transduction of brain circuit. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of β-arrestin2 in reward behaviors in...

CNS stimulants are the class of the drugs that may be used to get relief from depression. Apomorphine is a D1 and D2 receptor agonist with a CNS stimulatory effect used for the treatment of Parkinson's disease is also abused. Although many drugs of abuse produce tolerance and dependence. Long term use of pshycostimulants produce reverse tolerance described as sensitization. These drugs also hav...

Experiments were conducted to investigate the functional consequences of a neurotoxic regimen of MDMA administration upon two behaviors, conditioned place preference and drug discrimination. Rats were trained to discriminate 1.5 mg/kg MDMA from its vehicle and their discriminative performance was shown to be dose-responsive. Subsequently, MDMA was observed to produce a conditioned place prefere...

Recently we have shown that nitrous oxide (N2O) was able to block the expression of morphine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) in mice. Because dopamine (DA) has also been associated with the positive place conditioning we hypothesize that exposure to N2O would be significantly associated with a modification of extracellular level of DA. Unbiased place conditioning method was used for ...

An attempt was made to confirm and extend the findings of an earlier study on the rewarding properties of testosterone in male mice using conditioned place preference (CPP). Previous results had only partially demonstrated such an effect because the reinforcement depended on environmental cues such as the colour of the compartment. High individual variability was evident, suggesting that basal ...

Aerobic exercise may represent a useful intervention for drug abuse in predisposed individuals. Exercise increases plasticity in the brain that could be used to reverse learned drug associations. Previous studies have reported that exposing mice to a complex environment including running wheels after drug conditioning abolishes conditioned place preference (CPP) for cocaine, whereas running can...

Nicotine is classified as a dependence-producing drug. This study investigated the rewarding property of nicotine employing the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm in a three-compartment box, and compared it with that of methamphetamine (MAP). In place conditioning using a biased method, rats were placed in one (white or black) compartment under the drug treatment and placed in the othe...

The Chronic Constriction Injury of the Infraorbital Nerve (CCI-ION) is a well-established model to study facial sensory changes related to trigeminal neuropathic pain. CCI-ION induces heat hypersensitivity that resolves within 2-3 weeks and a delayed mechanical hypersensitivity that emerges during the second week post-injury. The role of descending facilitatory pain pathways from the rostro ven...