REINFORCING PROPERTIES OF PERPHENAZINE, HALOPERIDOL AND AMITRYPTILINE IN RHESUS-MONKEYS

  • 1 January 1977
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 200  (3) , 516-522
Abstract
Possible negative reinforcing effects of perphenazine, haloperidol and amitryptiline were studied in rhesus monkeys [Macaca mulatta] previously trained to avoid electric shock by responding. Responding extinguished a light associated with an i.v. drug infusion scheduled to occur 30 s after the light was switched on. A response occurring when the light was on switched the light off for a period of 1 min (time-out period). A response during the infusion terminated the infusion. Under these conditions, the monkeys tolerated a large number of saline infusions. Saline was replaced by different doses of perphenazine, haloperidol and amitryptiline, each for 12 successive daily 2 h sessions. Infusions of perphenazine (0.50-1.6 .mu.g/kg) and to a lesser extent infusions of haloperidol (2.5 .mu.g/kg) generated and maintained responding. Most of the infusions of amitryptiline in the dose range of 1.0-10.0 .mu.g/kg were tolerated. Haloperidol and perphenazine in doses higher than 10.0 .mu.g/kg, depressed markedly responding maintained by termination of electric shock. Amitryptiline (500-3000 .mu.g/kg i.v.) had no influence on shock avoidance behavior. Positive reinforcing effects of these compounds were studied in a group of monkeys trained to respond under a 10 response fixed ratio of i.v. infusions of codeine. None of the 3 compounds maintained responding previously engendered by codeine.

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