Effects of repeated withdrawal from continuous amphetamine administration on brain reward function in rats

• Published in: Psychopharmacologia Vol. 152; no. 4; pp. 440 - 446
• Main Authors: PATERSON, Neil E, MYERS, Cynthia, MARKOU, Athina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin Springer 01-11-2000; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Amphetamine - administration & dosage; Amphetamine-Related Disorders - psychology; Amphetamines; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Brain - drug effects; Brain - physiology; Central Nervous System Stimulants - administration & dosage; Depression; Depression - etiology; Drug withdrawal; Hypothalamus (lateral); Male; Medical sciences; Mood disorders; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Reinforcement; Reward; Self Stimulation; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome - psychology; Withdrawal; Mood disorder; Amphetamine derivatives; Animal model; Rat; CNS stimulant; Rodentia; Detoxification; Central nervous system; Tolerance; Depression; Slow release form; Hypothalamus; Long term; Vertebrata; Sensitivity; Mammalia; Pleasure unpleasure; Animal; Amfetamine; Subcutaneous administration; Drug of abuse; Reward; Withdrawal syndrome; Brain (vertebrata)
• ISSN: 0033-3158; 1432-2072
• DOI: 10.1007/s002130000559

The study of the effects of repeated amphetamine administration and withdrawal on brain reward function has relevance to both amphetamine dependence and non-drug-induced depressions.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of continuous amphetamine administration and withdrawal on brain stimulation reward thresholds, and the changes that occur with repeated amphetamine exposures.
Rats were prepared with bipolar electrodes in the lateral hypothalamus and trained in a discrete-trial reward threshold procedure. Then, rats underwent two separate periods of amphetamine administration via subcutaneous osmotic mini-pumps.
Continuous amphetamine administration was associated with lowering in brain reward thresholds and decreases in response latencies, while withdrawal was associated with threshold elevations. These effects changed with subsequent amphetamine administration and withdrawal.
The results of this study indicated that with the amphetamine administration regime used here, rats developed increased sensitivity to the effects of acute amphetamine administration and tolerance to the effects of amphetamine withdrawal.