Episodic Withdrawal Promotes Psychomotor Sensitization to Morphine

Morphine Withdrawal Contributes to Th Cell

Glutamate input to noradrenergic neurons plays an essential role in the development of morphine dependence and psychomotor sensitization.

The brain's noradrenergic system is involved in the development of behaviours induced by drugs of abuse, e.g. dependence and withdrawal, and also reward or psychomotor effects. To investigate how noradrenergic system activity is controlled in the context associated with drug-induced behaviours, we generated a Cre/loxP mouse model in which the essential glutamate NMDA receptor subunit NR1 is abl...

Endogenous Cholinergic Neurotransmission Contributes to Behavioral Sensitization to Morphine

Neuroplasticity in the mesolimbic dopaminergic system is critical for behavioral adaptations associated with opioid reward and addiction. These processes may be influenced by cholinergic transmission arising from the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus (LDTg), a main source of acetylcholine to mesolimbic dopaminergic neurons. To examine this possibility we asked if chronic systemic morphine administ...

Rapid Methadone Detoxification using Morphine to Reduce Severity of Withdrawal

This paper describes the use of morphine to reduce severity and duration of withdrawal symptoms while undergoing rapid opiate detoxification (ROD) from methadone under medical supervision. A pilot study of 24 randomly selected patients, some using heroin and others being dosed on methadone were surveyed between two months and three months from the time of their detoxification to gauge subjectiv...

Morphine sensitization and state-dependent learning in mice

In the present study, the effects of morphine sensitization on morphine-induced impairment of memory formation and the state-dependent retrieval of a passive avoidance task learned under morphine influence have been investigated in mice. Pre-training administration of morphine (0.5, 2.5 and 5 mg/kg) dose dependently suppressed the learning of one-trial passive avoidance task. Pre-test administr...