title: Extinction of conditioned opiate withdrawal in rats in a two-chambered place conditioning apparatus.
abstract: Conditioned opiate withdrawal contributes to relapse in addicts and can be studied in rats by using the opiate withdrawal-induced conditioned place aversion (OW-CPA) paradigm. Attenuation of conditioned withdrawal through extinction may be beneficial in the treatment of addiction. Here we describe a protocol for studying OW-CPA extinction using a two-chambered place conditioning apparatus. Rats are made dependent on morphine through subcutaneous implantation of morphine pellets and then are trained to acquire OW-CPA through pairings of one chamber with naloxone-precipitated withdrawal and the other chamber with saline. Extinction training consists of re-exposures to both chambers in the absence of precipitated withdrawal. Rats tested after the completion of training show a decline in avoidance of the formerly naloxone-paired chamber with increasing numbers of extinction training sessions. The protocol takes a minimum of 7 d; the exact duration varies with the amount of extinction training, which is determined by the goals of the experiment.
authors.affiliation: Behavioral Genetics Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Karyn M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Myers
authors.forename: Anita J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Bechtholt-Gompf
authors.forename: Brian R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Coleman
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Carlezon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000502:physiology; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D003463:Cues; D005108:Extinction, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D009270:Naloxone; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D009270:Naloxone