Low dose of heroin inhibits drug-seeking elicited by cues after prolonged withdrawal from heroin self-administration in rats.
Environmental stimuli and conditioned cues associated with heroin can induce drug-seeking behavior, but how heroin lapse interacts with cues is unclear. Rats were trained to nose-poke for i.v. heroin for 14 days and then tested for heroin seeking after withdrawal from heroin self-administration. Heroin seeking induced by cues persisted over several weeks after withdrawal, and the responding was not easily extinguished after 4 weeks withdrawal. A single injection of heroin (250 micro g/kg) enhanced the responding at early stage of withdrawal, but a low dose of heroin (50, 250 micro g/kg) suppressed the responding induced by contextual or conditioned cues at 4 weeks of withdrawal. The results suggest that prolonged withdrawal may increase the risk of relapse to heroin seeking.
Zhou
Wenhua
W
Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Ningbo Addiction Research and Treatment Center, 42 Xibei Str., Ningbo 315010, PR China. whzhou@vip.163.com
Zhang
Fuqiang
F
Tang
Shuaien
S
Liu
Huifen
H
Lai
Miaojun
M
Yang
Guodong
G
D000818:Animals; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000187:drug effects; D003463:Cues; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D003932:Heroin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012008:Recurrence; D012201:Reward; D012307:Risk Factors; D012646:Self Administration; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013997:Time Factors
D003932:Heroin