Conditioning in human opiate addicts.
Eight volunteers maintained on daily methadone participated in a classical conditioning procedure to determine which if any of the elements of narcotic withdrawal could be conditioned; The unconditioned stimulus was the injection of a small dose of naloxone. The unconditioned response was a brief precipitated withdrawal syndrome. The conditioning stimulus was a tone, odor, and injection of saline. Conditioning was successful in the pilot study in 5 of 8 subjects. The conditioned response consisted of tearing, yawning, lacrimation, systolic blood pressure increase, respiratory irregularities and subjective feelings of narcotic withdrawal sickness (nausea, muscle aches, chills). A second group of 8 subjects showed, in addition to the above, evidence of conditioning of heart rate, respiratory rate, respiratory, rate and skin temperature decrease. These laboratory findings support the clinical reports of a conditioned withdrawal syndrome and suggest ways to improve treatment results by detecting and extinguishing or modifying conditioned responses.
D000328:Adult; D003214:Conditioning, Classical; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008691:Methadone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009270:Naloxone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D012881:Skin Temperature; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D013997:Time Factors
D009270:Naloxone; D008691:Methadone