Behavioral evidence for an opiate pituitary mechanism subserving conditioned analgesia
- 1 September 1983
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wolters Kluwer Health in Pain
- Vol. 17 (1) , 83-89
- https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3959(83)90130-6
Abstract
The effect of naloxone or a dexamethasone pretreatment on the conditioned analgesia resulting from the exposure of rats to an experimental chamber repeatedly paired with a grid shock was investigated. Shock induced disruption of bar pressing activity was taken as a behavioral measure of pain responsiveness. A 6, but not a 3, mg/kg dose of naloxone i.p. is hyperalgesic in unconditioned rats and effectively antagonizes conditioned analgesia. Dexamethasone (up to a dose of 2 .+-. 1 mg/kg i.p. 23 and 1 h prior) did not alter the pain responsiveness of unconditioned rats, but caused a dose dependent suppression of conditioned analgesia. These results are discussed in terms of an opiate pituitary mechanism subserving conditioned analgesia.This publication has 9 references indexed in Scilit:
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