Drug-induced conditioned place preference and aversion in mice.
This protocol describes the equipment and methods used to establish conditioned place preference (CPP) or aversion (CPA). Place conditioning is a form of Pavlovian conditioning routinely used to measure the rewarding or aversive motivational effects of objects or experiences (e.g., abused drugs). Here, we present a place conditioning procedure that has been used extensively to study the motivational effects of ethanol and other abused drugs in mice. This protocol involves three phases: (i) habituation (or a pretest), (ii) conditioning of an association between the drug and a tactile or visual stimulus and (iii) a test that offers a choice between the drug-associated cue and a neutral cue. If the drug has motivational significance, mice will spend significantly more time (CPP) or less time (CPA) in proximity to the drug-associated cue. Potential problems in the design and interpretation of place conditioning studies are discussed. A typical experiment lasts 2 weeks.
Cunningham
Christopher L
CL
Department of Behavioral Neuroscience and Portland Alcohol Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239-3098, USA. cunningh@ohsu.edu
Gremel
Christina M
CM
Groblewski
Peter A
PA
D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D009042:Motivation; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D013997:Time Factors