Abstract
MDMA and amphetamine (AMPH), as other addicting drugs, enhance rats' pressing for rewarding brain stimulation. A drug reducing such enhancement, without interfering with pressing itself, is apt to be useful in treating addiction to the drugs producing the enhancement. Rats were fixed with chronically indwelling bipolar electrodes for stimulation of the medial forebrain bundle of the hypothalamus. They were trained to press a lever in a standard operant box for stimulation near threshold for maintaining pressing and for higher intensities. Doses of MDMA and AMPH each unequivocally increased rates of pressing at each intensity. A 10 mg/kg dose of naltrindole, clearly blocked MDMA's enhancement of pressing and attenuated AMPH's enhancement. It is concluded that delta specific opioid antagonists will effectively block stimulants'effects that sustain their ability to produce an addiction.
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Reid, L., Hubbell, C. Naltrindole, a Delta Opioid Antagonist, Reduces Addicting Phenylisopropylamines' Enhancement of Pressing for Rewarding Brain Stimulation. Neuropsychopharmacol 11, 281 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.npp.1380197
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.npp.1380197
