Gender- and morphine dose-linked expression of spontaneous somatic opiate withdrawal in mice

The opiate withdrawal syndrome powerfully motivates opiate seeking and abuse. Development of effective medications for opiate withdrawal symptoms is thus a primary research goal and heavily relies on improved experimental models. This study was carried out to establish a clinically relevant paradigm to assess somatic opiate withdrawal in mice. Female and male C57BL/6J mice were treated with saline or increasing morphine doses (10-50mg/kg or 20-100mg/kg) during 6 consecutive days and tested for the spontaneous expression of somatic opiate withdrawal signs 8, 32, 56 and 80 h after last drug administration. Contrary to opioid receptor antagonist-precipitated procedures, the spontaneous opiate withdrawal paradigm used here revealed interesting gender- and morphine dose-linked differences. In particular, 56 h after last morphine administration elevated global opiate withdrawal scores were still evident in female but not in male mice treated with 20-100mg/kg. The severity of somatic opiate withdrawal directly correlated with the prior cumulative morphine exposure. Timing of expression of somatic opiate withdrawal signs also varied as a function of both gender and morphine dose. For example, expression of paw tremors and wet dog shakes was earlier in opiate-withdrawn male than in female mice. Overall, these findings highlight the possibility to detect gender- and opiate dose-linked differences in the expression and duration of somatic opiate withdrawal using a clinically relevant research model. The behavioral paradigm described here may represent a more appropriate tool to investigate the neurobiological bases of opiate withdrawal as opposed to opioid receptor antagonist-precipitated opiate withdrawal procedures.     

Protein Kinases in the Rat Nucleus Accumbens are Involved in the Aversive Component of Opiate Withdrawal

The specific participation of protein kinases in the expression of the somatic signs of morphine withdrawal has been previously demonstrated, suggesting that changes in intracellular signalling systems are involved in opioid addiction. In the present study, the involvement of protein kinases in the aversive/dysphoric effects of morphine abstinence has been investigated in the nucleus accumbens, because of the critical role played by the mesolimbic system in the rewarding effects of opioids. Rats were chronically treated with morphine, twice a day for 5 days, with doses progressively increased from 5 to 30 mg/kg (i-p.). In addition, microinjections into the nucleus accumbens of the serine-threonine kinase inhibitors H7 or H8 (1 or 10 nmol per side) or saline once daily were also given, both in control and in morphine-treated animals. After these chronic treatments, withdrawal syndrome was induced by naloxone administration (0.1 mg/kg, s. c.), and the motivational component of morphine abstinence was studied using the place aversion paradigm. When administered at the highest dose (10 nmol), H7 and H8 strongly reduced the place aversion induced by naloxone in morphine dependent animals. Protein kinase inhibitors did not induce significant behavioural responses in non-dependent animals. Chronic morphine treatment induced a selective up-regulation of adenylate cyclase activity in the amygdala, without affecting other brain regions. The morphine-increased adenylate cyclase activity in amygdala was reversed by the chronic intra-accumbens microinjection of H7 or H8. These results suggest that serine-threonine kinases in the nucleus accumbens play an important role in the emotional/dysphoric properties which characterize opiate withdrawal.     

Opiate withdrawal and the rat locus coeruleus: behavioral, electrophysiological, and biochemical correlates

We have compared the time course of the behavioral manifestations of opiate withdrawal to the in vivo activity of locus coeruleus (LC) neurons and to increases in the levels of G-proteins, adenylate cyclase, and cAMP-dependent protein kinase known to occur in the LC in opiate-dependent animals. Rats were given morphine by daily subcutaneous implantation of morphine pellets for 5 d. On the sixth day, morphine withdrawal was induced by subcutaneous administration of naltrexone, an opiate receptor antagonist, with additional doses given 6 and 24 hr later, conditions that resulted in sustained, maximal levels of withdrawal over the duration of the experiment. We found a striking parallel between the time courses of the behavioral signs and the increased activity of LC neurons during withdrawal, both of which appeared to follow 2 phases. There was an early, rapid phase, during which withdrawal signs and increased LC activity became most pronounced within 15-30 min after naltrexone administration, and then recovered rapidly by over 50% within 4 hr of withdrawal. Subsequently, there was a slower phase, during which the persisting withdrawal signs and elevated LC activity remained roughly constant from 4 to 24 hr and did not recover completely until after 72 hr of continuous withdrawal. Adenylate cyclase and cAMP-dependent protein kinase activities in isolated LC subcellular fractions, both elevated in dependent animals, recovered to control levels after 6 hr of withdrawal, in parallel with the rapid phase of withdrawal. Levels of G1 and Go, also elevated in dependent animals, remained only slightly elevated at 6 hr and returned to normal by 24 hr. Taken together, these data suggest that increased neuronal activity in the LC is associated temporally with the behavioral morphine withdrawal syndrome and that increased levels of G-proteins and an up-regulated cAMP system may contribute to the early withdrawal activation of these neurons.     

Group III mGlu receptor agonist,ACPT-I,attenuates morphine-withdrawal symptoms after peripheral administration in mice

Several lines of evidence implicate dysfunction of glutamatergic neurotransmission in opiate dependence and withdrawal. Functional antagonists of glutamatergic system, including compounds acting on both ionotropic and metabotropic glutamate receptors (group I mGlu receptor antagonists and group II mGlu receptor agonists), have been shown to decrease behavioural signs of opiate withdrawal in rodents. In the present study we analyzed an influence of group III mGlu receptor agonist, ACPT-I, on opioid withdrawal syndrom, induced by repeated morphine administration and final naloxone injection. We show, that ACPT-I significantly attenuated typical symptoms of naloxone-induced morphine withdrawal, after peripheral administration in C57BL/6J mice. These data indicate an important role of group III mGlu receptors in morphine withdrawal states and suggest that activation of group III mGlu receptors may reduce opiate withdrawal symptoms.     

Mapping of c-fos gene expression in the brain during morphine dependence and precipitated withdrawal, and phenotypic identification of the striatal neurons involved

The c-fos gene is expressed in the central nervous system in response to various neuronal stimuli. Using in situ hybridization, we examined the effects of chronic morphine treatment and withdrawal on c-fos mRNA in the rat brain, and particularly within identified striatal neurons. Morphine dependence was induced by subcutaneous implantation of two pellets of morphine for 6 days and withdrawal was precipitated by administration of naltrexone. Placebo animals and morphine-dependent rats showed a very weak c-fos mRNA expression in all the structures studied. Our study emphasized the spatial variations in c-fos mRNA expression, and also revealed a peak expression of c-fos mRNA at 1 h after naltrexone-precipitated withdrawal in the projection areas of dopaminergic neurons, noradrenergic neurons and in several regions expressing opiate receptors. Interestingly, morphine withdrawal induces c-fos mRNA expression in the two efferent populations of the striatum (i.e. striatonigral and striatopallidal neurons) both in the caudate putamen and nucleus accumbens. Moreover, the proportions of activated neurons during morphine withdrawal are different in the caudate putamen (mostly in striatopallidal neurons) and in the shell and core parts of the nucleus accumbens (mostly in striatonigral neurons). The activation of striatopallidal neurons suggests a predominant dopaminergic regulation on c-fos gene expression in the striatum during withdrawal. On the contrary, c-fos induction in striatonigral neurons during withdrawal seems to involve a more complex regulation like opioid-dopamine interactions via the mu opioid receptor and the D1 dopamine receptor coexpressed on this neuronal population or the implication of other neurotransmitter systems.     

Motivational state determines the functional role of the mesolimbic dopamine system in the mediation of opiate reward processes.

We have previously reported that mesolimbic dopamine (DA) substrates are critically involved in the rewarding effects of opiates only during states of opiate-dependence and withdrawal. However, in previously drug-naive animals, opiate reward is mediated through a DA-independent neural system. In the present study, we report that bilateral microinjections of a DA receptor antagonist, alpha-flupenthixol (0.3-3 microg/0.5 microl) into the nucleus accumbens (NAc), blocks morphine reward (10 mg/kg, i.p.) in opiate-withdrawn animals, but not in opiate-naive animals, suggesting that accumbal dopamine receptors are required for opiate reward signaling in drug-deprived motivational states. Next, the role of dopamine was examined in the development of opiate dependence and somatic withdrawal, and expression of withdrawal aversions. Pretreatment with alpha-flupenthixol (0.8 mg/kg, i.p.) before morphine injections during the development of opiate dependence did not effect expression of withdrawal aversions or the expression of somatic withdrawal. We have previously reported that pretreatment with a dopamine receptor antagonist, alpha-flupenthixol, blocks the aversive effects of opiate withdrawal. We now report that pretreatment with a direct dopamine receptor agonist, apomorphine (1.0-5.0 mg/kg, i.p.) before conditioning in a state of withdrawal, also blocks the aversive effects of opiate withdrawal. We propose that the aversive motivational effects of opiate withdrawal may be mediated by a specific dopaminergic neuronal signal.     

Electrophysiological characterization of substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons in partially lesioned rats: effects of subthalamotomy and levodopa treatment

Progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta is the main histopathological characteristic of Parkinson's disease. We studied the electrophysiological characteristics of the spontaneous activity of substantia nigra pars compacta dopaminergic neurons in rats with a partial, unilateral, 6-hydroxydopamine lesion of the nigrostriatal pathway. In addition, the effects of subthalamotomy and prolonged levodopa treatment on the activity of dopaminergic neurons were investigated. As a result of the lesion ( approximately 50% neuronal loss), the number of spontaneously active neurons was significantly reduced. Basal firing rate, burst firing and responsiveness to intravenously administered apomorphine remained unchanged. In contrast, the variation coefficient, a measure of interspike interval regularity, was significantly increased. Ibotenic acid (10 microg) lesion of the ipsilateral subthalamic nucleus in lesioned rats did not modify the electrophysiological parameters. However, prolonged levodopa treatment (100 mg/kg/day + benserazide 25 mg/kg/day, 14 days) reversed the irregularity observed in cells from lesioned rats, while it induced an irregular firing pattern in cells from intact rats. Our results using an experimental model of moderate Parkinson's disease indicate that surviving substantia nigra pars compacta dopaminergic neurons fire irregularly. In this model, subthalamotomy does not modify the firing pattern while levodopa treatment efficiently restores normal firing of SNpc neurons and does not appear to be toxic to them.     

VTA Dopamine Neuron Bursting is Altered in an Animal Model of Depression and Corrected by Desipramine

Ventral tegmental area (VTA) neuronal activity plays an important role in reward-related learning and motivation. Tracing the bursting signal is important for understanding neural state and understanding communication between individual neurons. The dopaminergic system, which projects from the VTA to other regions in the mesolimbic system, is involved in hedonia and motivation. However, the role of this system in the pathophysiology of depression and its manipulation for treatment of depression has received little attention. Inter-spike interval time series were recorded from the VTA of control Sprague–Dawley and Flinders sensitive line (FSL) rats with or without 14 days of desipramine (5 mg/kg) treatment. Comparison of the firing modes of control and desipramine-treated FSL rats reveals dissimilar patterns. Desipramine treatment normalized depressive-like behavior and elevated the dopaminergic mesolimbic activity, although not to control levels. Mesolimbic neuronal activity is known to occur either in burst or in single-spike firing mode. Herein, we suggest a third mode that is characterized as a “cluster” formed from burst and post-burst activity. A significant reduction in the activity of both bursts and cluster was detected in FSL rats, which was restored by desipramine treatment.     

The role of nitric oxide in morphine dependence and withdrawal excitation of rat oxytocin neurons

Magnocellular oxytocin neurons develop morphine dependence after intracerebroventricular infusion for 5 days as revealed by their profound excitation following naloxone-induced withdrawal. Oxytocin neurons strongly express nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and nitric oxide (NO) inhibits their activity. This study investigated whether excitation of oxytocin neurons during morphine withdrawal involves reduced activity of NOS and NO. Neuron activity was measured in urethane-anaesthetized rats with blood sampling for oxytocin radioimmunoassay and extracellular single unit firing rate recording of supraoptic nucleus oxytocin neurons. To compare morphine-dependent and -naive rats oxytocin secretion was measured during stimulation by intravenous hypertonic saline infusion. Prior treatment with Nomega-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester, a NOS inhibitor, facilitated osmotically stimulated oxytocin secretion in both morphine-dependent and -naive rats. The facilitation was not different between these groups when corrected for the slower responses observed in morphine-dependent rats. Treatment of morphine-dependent rats with Nomega-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester also enhanced oxytocin secretion during naloxone-precipitated withdrawal. Oxytocin neurons excited by withdrawal were recorded during microdialysis application to the supraoptic nucleus of the NO donor sodium nitroprusside alone and in combination with the GABAA antagonist bicuculline. Sodium nitroprusside inhibited oxytocin neurons during naloxone-precipitated morphine withdrawal and, while bicuculline alone increased firing rate, it did not reduce the inhibition by sodium nitroprusside, in contrast with previous findings in naive rats. Together, these findings indicate that NO restraint of oxytocin secretion is not curtailed during morphine dependence and remains a potent inhibitor of withdrawal excitation despite reduced effectiveness on GABA innervation of the supraoptic nucleus. Hence there is no evidence that changes in NO regulation underlie excitation of oxytocin neurons during opiate withdrawal in morphine dependence.     

Activation of neuropeptide FF neurons in the brainstem nucleus tractus solitarius following cardiovascular challenge and opiate withdrawal

Neuropeptide FF (NPFF), a morphine modulatory peptide, is localized within discrete autonomic regions including the brainstem nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) and the parabrachial nucleus (PBN). We investigated the activation of NPFF neurons in the NTS of rats induced by cardiovascular challenge and centrally generated opiate withdrawal. For hypotensive stimulation, we used systemic infusions of sodium nitroprusside (NP) or hemorrhage (HEM), and hypertension was achieved by intravenous phenylephrine (PHENYL) or angiotensin II (AII). In rats that received continuous intracerebroventricular injections of morphine, intraperitoneal injections of naloxone precipitated behavioural signs of opioid withdrawal. Activated NTS neurons were identified by using a combined immunohistochemistry for Fos and NPFF, and neurons projecting to the PBN were determined with a retrograde tracer. HEM, administration of vasoactive drugs, and opiate withdrawal produced a very robust activation of NTS neurons. In NP and HEM groups, 25.6 ± 3.2% and 7.6 ± 1.3 % of NPFF neurons were activated, respectively. Lesser numbers of NPFF neurons were activated in the PHENYL (4.6 ± 1.6%) and AII (2.4 ± 0.8%) groups. However, following opiate withdrawal, virtually no Fos expression was observed in NPFF neurons. NPFF neurons activated during NP infusion constituted the largest number of cells projecting to the PBN. This study shows that NPFF neurons in NTS that project to the PBN respond selectively to NP as opposed to other cardiovascular challenges or opiate withdrawal. These data support an emerging and important role for NPFF in the context of central cardiovascular regulation. J. Comp. Neurol. 402:210–221, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Increased Dopamine Receptor Activity in the Nucleus Accumbens Shell Ameliorates Anxiety during Drug Withdrawal

A number of lines of evidence suggest that negative emotional symptoms of withdrawal involve reduced activity in the mesolimbic dopamine system. This study examined the contribution of dopaminergic signaling in structures downstream of the ventral tegmental area to withdrawal from acute morphine exposure, measured as potentiation of the acoustic startle reflex. Systemic administration of the general dopamine receptor agonist apomorphine or a cocktail of the D1-like receptor agonist SKF82958 and the D2-like receptor agonist quinpirole attenuated potentiated startle during morphine withdrawal. This effect was replicated by apomorphine infusion into the nucleus accumbens shell. Finally, apomorphine injection was shown to relieve startle potentiation during nicotine withdrawal and conditioned place aversion to morphine withdrawal. These results suggest that transient activation of the ventral tegmental area mesolimbic dopamine system triggers the expression of anxiety and aversion during withdrawal from multiple classes of abused drugs.     

Morphine tolerance and dependence in the nucleus paragigantocellularis: single unit recording study in vivo

In this study, a single unit activity was recorded in the nucleus paragigantocellularis (PGi), located in the rostral ventrolateral medulla of anesthetized, morphine-dependent rats. The spontaneous activity of PGi neurons was significantly decreased by administration of morphine (10 mg/kg; i.p.) in sham-operated, control and morphine-dependent rats. However, in PGi neurons of morphine-dependent rats, the firing rate decreased significantly less than those of sham-operated and control ones. There was also significant enhancement of spontaneous activity of PGi neurons for 30 min following administration of naloxone (2 mg/kg; s.c.) in morphine-dependent rats as an opiate withdrawal-induced activation of PGi neurons. The results indicated the occurrence of morphine tolerance and dependence in the PGi and/or elsewhere which appeared in PGi unit activity. The findings are consistent with the hypothesis that during morphine withdrawal, there is an increase in unit activity of the PGi afferents to the nucleus locus coeruleus (LC) or an increased release of excitatory transmitter from their nerve terminals in the LC.     

Neural correlates of the motivational and somatic components of naloxone-precipitated morphine withdrawal

In morphine-dependent rats, low naloxone doses have been shown to induce conditioned place aversion, which reflects the negative motivational component of opiate withdrawal. In contrast, higher naloxone doses are able to induce a 'full' withdrawal syndrome, including overt somatic signs. The c-fos gene is commonly used as a marker of neuronal reactivity to map the neural substrates that are recruited by various stimuli. Using in situ hybridization, we have analysed in the brain of morphine-dependent rats the effects of acute withdrawal syndrome precipitated by increasing naloxone doses on c-fos mRNA expression. Morphine dependence was induced by subcutaneous implantation of slow-release morphine pellets for 6 days and withdrawal was precipitated by increasing naloxone doses inducing the motivational (7.5 and 15 micro g/kg) and somatic (30 and 120 micro g/kg) components of withdrawal. Our mapping study revealed a dissociation between a set of brain structures (extended amygdala, lateral septal nucleus, basolateral amygdala and field CA1 of the hippocampus) which exhibited c-fos mRNA dose-dependent variations from the lowest naloxone doses, and many other structures (dopaminergic and noradrenergic nuclei, motor striatal areas, hypothalamic nuclei and periaqueductal grey) which were less sensitive and recruited only by the higher doses. In addition, we found opposite dose-dependent variations of c-fos gene expression within the central (increase) and the basolateral (decrease) amygdala after acute morphine withdrawal. Altogether, these results emphasize that limbic structures of the extended amygdala along with the lateral septal nucleus, the basolateral amygdala and CA1 could specifically mediate the negative motivational component of opiate withdrawal.     

Marked differences in the number and type of synapses innervating the somata and primary dendrites of midbrain dopaminergic neurons,striatal cholinergic interneurons,and striatal spiny projection neurons in the rat

Elucidating the link between cellular activity and goal‐directed behavior requires a fuller understanding of the mechanisms underlying burst firing in midbrain dopaminergic neurons and those that suppress activity during aversive or non‐rewarding events. We have characterized the afferent synaptic connections onto these neurons in the rat substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and ventral tegmental area (VTA), and compared these findings with cholinergic interneurons and spiny projection neurons in the striatum. We found that the average absolute number of synapses was three to three and one‐half times greater onto the somata of dorsal striatal spiny projection neurons than onto the somata of dopaminergic neurons in the SNpc or dorsal striatal cholinergic interneurons. A similar comparison between populations of dopamine neurons revealed a two times greater number of somatic synapses on VTA dopaminergic neurons than SNpc dopaminergic neurons. The percentage of symmetrical, presumably inhibitory, synaptic inputs on somata was significantly higher on spiny projection neurons and cholinergic interneurons compared with SNpc dopaminergic neurons. Synaptic data on the primary dendrites yielded similar significant differences for the percentage of symmetrical synapses for VTA dopaminergic vs. striatal neurons. No differences in the absolute number or type of somatic synapses were evident for dopaminergic neurons in the SNpc of Wistar vs. Sprague‐Dawley rat strains. These data from identified neurons are pivotal for interpreting their electrophysiological responses to afferent activity and for generating realistic computer models of neuronal networks of striatal and midbrain dopaminergic function. J. Comp. Neurol. 524:1062–1080, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Presence of opiate receptors on striatal serotoninergic nerve terminals

After degeneration of serotoninergic neurons induced by either transection of the ascending neuronal pathways originating from the nucleus raphe dorsalis or intraventricular 5,6-dihydroxytryptamine administration, the number of binding sites for [³H]d-Ala², Met⁵-enkephalinamide was significantly reduced. This decrease in binding sites does not seem to be related to the opiate receptors present on dopaminergic terminals, nor is it due to a simple decrease in serotoninergic neuronal tone, since after p-chlorophenylalanine (100 mg/kg × 4 days) the number of striatal binding sites for the opiate ligand was not diminished. On the other hand, shortly after mechanical interruption of the raphe-striatal serotoninergic fibers, at a time when the metabolic processes are still functioning in the lesioned neurons, morphine still increased the striatal content of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid. These results suggest the presence of opiate receptors on striatal serotoninergic terminals, where they may modulate the presynaptic activity of these neurons.     

Morphine withdrawal is modified in pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide type I-receptor-deficient mice

The pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide type I-receptor (PAC1) is a G-protein-coupled receptor that is widely expressed in neurons of the central and peripheral nervous system. The strong expression of PAC1 in the second sensory neuron as well as in brainstem regions such as the locus coeruleus prompted us to elucidate the potential in vivo role of PAC1-mediated signalling in pain perception and opioid addiction using a PAC1-deficient mouse line. We observed a selective involvement of PAC1 in the mediation of visceral pain. While there was no impairment in acute somatic pain perception, PAC1-mutants exhibited a dramatically decreased response in the abdominal writhing test. These data in concert with data from the literature implicate PAC1 in the mediation of visceral and chronic pain. In addition, we observed that PAC1 did not influence the motivational aspects of opioid addictive properties, since morphine-induced rewarding effects and sensitization to locomotor responses were completely maintained in PAC1-deficient mice. However, there was a dramatic increase in physical withdrawal signs after naloxone-precipitated morphine withdrawal in PAC1 mutants. At the cellular level, electrophysiological examinations in locus coeruleus neurons from morphine-dependent wild-type and PAC1-deficient mice did not reveal any differences in firing rates. These data therefore suggested that most likely disruption of PAC1-mediated signalling in afferents towards the locus coeruleus but not within the intrinsic locus coeruleus system led to the enhancement of somatic withdrawal signs.     

Low dose naltrexone administration in morphine dependent rats attenuates withdrawal-induced norepinephrine efflux in forebrain

The administration of low dose opioid antagonists has been explored as a potential means of detoxification in opiate dependence. Previous results from our laboratory have shown that concurrent administration of low dose naltrexone in the drinking water of rats implanted with subcutaneous morphine pellets attenuates behavioral and biochemical signs of withdrawal in brainstem noradrenergic nuclei. Noradrenergic projections originating from the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) and the locus coeruleus (LC) have previously been shown to be important neural substrates involved in the somatic expression of opiate withdrawal. The hypothesis that low dose naltrexone treatment attenuates noradrenergic hyperactivity typically associated with opiate withdrawal was examined in the present study by assessing norepinephrine tissue content and norepinephrine efflux using in vivo microdialysis coupled to high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical detection (ED). The frontal cortex (FC), amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and cerebellum were analyzed for tissue content of norepinephrine following withdrawal in morphine dependent rats. Naltrexone-precipitated withdrawal elicited a significant decrease in tissue content of norepinephrine in the BNST and amygdala. This decrease was significantly attenuated in the BNST of rats that received low dose naltrexone pre-treatment compared to controls. No significant difference was observed in the other brain regions examined. In a separate group of rats, norepinephrine efflux was assessed with in vivo microdialysis in the BNST or the FC of morphine dependent rats or placebo treated rats subjected to naltrexone-precipitated withdrawal that received either naltrexone in their drinking water (5 mg/L) or unadulterated water. Following baseline dialysate collection, withdrawal was precipitated by injection of naltrexone and sample collection continued for an additional 4 h. At the end of the experiment, animals were transcardially perfused and the brains were removed for verification of probe placement. Low dose naltrexone pre-treatment significantly attenuated withdrawal-induced increases of extracellular norepinephrine in the BNST, with a smaller effect in the FC. These findings suggest that alterations in norepinephrine release associated with withdrawal may be attenuated in forebrain targets of noradrenergic brainstem neurons that may underlie reduced behavioral signs of withdrawal following low dose naltrexone administration.     

A non-invasive gating device for continuous drug delivery that allows control over the timing and duration of spontaneous opiate withdrawal

Opiate dependence in laboratory animals is commonly induced by two methods: (1) subcutaneous (s.c.) insertion of morphine pellets, and (2) daily injections of increasing doses of opiates. While both of these methods reliably induce opiate dependence, they do not allow one to discontinue, and subsequently reestablish steady state opiate plasma levels with minimal invasive procedures. We developed an "ON-OFF" gating device for repeatedly and non-invasively turning ON or OFF opiate delivery by standard osmotic minipumps. The reliability of this "device" was tested utilizing naloxone (NAL)-precipitated somatic signs of withdrawal, and body mass index (BMI) as measures of withdrawal. Rats were implanted with osmotic minipumps equipped with the gating device, containing heroin (2.66 mg per day). Three days after surgery, somatic signs of withdrawal were precipitated every 48 h by NAL (0.3mg/kg), with minipumps gated ON or OFF. For BMI, spontaneous withdrawal was repeatedly (three times) induced by turning OFF and ON the gating devices every 48 h. Body weights were measured every 4h from 06:00 to 22:00 h daily. Results show that NAL precipitated intense somatic signs of withdrawal when gating devices were ON. This effect was almost abolished when gating devices were OFF. BMI rapidly decreased after the gating devices were turned OFF with maximum weight loss occuring 12 h post-OFF position, and gradually returning to baseline values after gating devices were turned back ON. These results demonstrate the validity of the "ON-OFF" gating device for non-invasively and repeatedly inducing physical dependence to opiates over a prolonged time.     

Environment associated with morphine and experience of aggression modulate behaviors of postdependent mice

Contexts associated with drug use can acquire secondary reinforcing properties. Furthermore, context-specific withdrawal has been observed to reflect a relatively long-lasting learned response. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the environment paired with morphine after 15 days of abstinence. In the first experiment, isolated male mice received saline or morphine either in their home cage or in the distinctive environment, performing two agonistic encounters in the distinctive environment during spontaneous withdrawal. Similar groups were assigned but without aggression encounters during withdrawal. In the second experiment, animals received saline or morphine as previously described but suffered two naloxone-induced withdrawals during agonistic encounters. In all cases, after the second withdrawal, animals were drug-free during 15 days and then an aggression test took place in the distinctive environment. Results show that experience of aggression during this spontaneous withdrawal causes an increase in the level of aggression exhibited when animals are drug free, in comparison with others in which this experience does not exist. Environment associated with morphine administration decreases conditioned physical signs of withdrawal and to a smaller extent aggression. It could be suggested that environment associated with morphine administration decreases the abnormal behaviors exhibited in postdependent mice.     

Ethological analysis of morphine withdrawal with different dependence programs in male mice

This work was performed to clarify the differences between a long or short development of morphine dependence as well as between a recently installed or a long-term dependence. Morphine withdrawal in rats is a well-characterized phenomenon but this is not so in mice. A study of the principal withdrawal signs have been performed in mice, evaluating their specificity and particular profile of appearance in each type of dependence. Mice were divided into two groups that received increasing doses of morphine every 24 h, three groups that received increasing doses of morphine twice a day for 3 days, and a control group that received saline. Naloxone-induced opiate withdrawal was evaluated following short-term exposition to morphine [Test 1 (T1)--saline and Test 2 (T2)--naloxone] and long-term exposition to morphine [Test 3 (T3)--naloxone and Test 4 (T4)--saline]. Morphine administration twice a day is more effective in inducing opiate dependence than once a day, and with the latter, the duration of morphine exposure increases the intensity of withdrawal signs. Weight loss, diarrhea, body shakes, jumping, paw tremor, ptosis, piloerection, and the modified Gellert-Holtzman scale for mice are specific patterns of naloxone-induced withdrawal. The first four signs allow the discrimination between different levels of opiate dependence. Body care, piloerection, and the modified Gellert-Holtzman scale could be useful to detect conditioned withdrawal.