Opiates have complex effects on seizure thresholds as these substances have both anti and proconvulsive actions in the mammalian brain. A reduction of inhibitory synaptic activity or enhancement of excitatory synaptic activity would be expected to trigger a seizure. This study is designed to determine how morphine and naloxone affect seizures induced by a low Mg2+ perfusate in the whole, intact...

Background: Although opioids suppressive effects on immune system function have been reported, this study demonstrates inflammatory reactions, such as production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and suppression of anti-inflammatory cytokines, are the main causes at organ’s allotransplantation rejection in chronic morphine-treated recipients. Methods: 28 rats were categorized in 4groups through int...

It has been reported that N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor is implicated in drug addiction and antagonists of the NMDA receptor complex can inhibit the development and expression of conditioned place preference (CPP) induced by several addictive drugs, implying that this class of compounds might be considered as candidate for the treatment of substance abuse. To explore this possibility, it...

BACKGROUND High-dose opioid therapy can precipitate seizures; however, the mechanism of such a dangerous adverse effect remains poorly understood. The aim of our study was to determine whether the neuroexcitatory activity of high-dose morphine is mediated by selective stimulation of opioid receptors. METHODS Mice hippocampi were resected intact and bathed in low magnesium artificial cerebrosp...

Methadone and buprenorphine are widely used for treating people with opioid dependence, including pregnant women. Prenatal exposure to opioids has devastating effects on the development of human fetuses and may induce long-term physical and neurobehavioral changes during postnatal maturation. This study aimed at comparing the behavioral outcomes of young rats prenatally exposed to buprenorphine...

Background: In order to assess the status of drug abuse and likely addiction among university students, a descriptive study was designed. Methods: 1200 subjects among the students of three universities in Zanjan were selected by stratified random sampling and their demographic information and history of substance abuse including hookah, cigarette, codeine, ibuprofen, alcohol, diazepam, tramadol...

The anhedonia-like behaviors following about 1-week withdrawal from morphine were examined in the present study. Male rats were pretreated with either a binge-like morphine paradigm or daily saline injection for 5 days. Three types of natural reward were used, food reward (2.5, 4, 15, 30, 40, and 60% sucrose solutions), social reward (male rat) and sexual reward (estrous female rat). For each t...

This study was designed to examine the effect of environmental enrichment during morphine dependency and withdrawal on the severity of naloxone-precipitated withdrawal signs, anxiety, and depressive-like behaviors and voluntary morphine consumption in morphine-dependent rats. The rats were injected with bi-daily doses (10 mg/kg, 12 h intervals) of morphine for 14 days following rearing in a sta...