Abstract
Rats were trained in state dependent discrimination to escape shock in a T-maze by turning one way under a drug and the other way under saline without aid of exteroceptive cues. In experiment 1, 9.0 nig/kg of morphine, 20 mg/kg of pentobarbital and 0.3 cc of saline were used with a balanced order of training which employed 18 training days under one condition followed by 18 days in the other condition; twelve test days were then given in which conditions were alternated daily. Pentobarbital produced strong state dependent behavior but morphine did not. Experiment 2 used 4.5, 9.0, 18.0, and 36.0 mg/kg of morphine and 0.3 cc of saline with the same procedures as for the first study. Orderly state dependent learning was not found. In experiment 3, the dose levels and procedures were the same as for the second study except that training under the two conditions was carried out concurrently, i.e. morphine and saline trials were given alternately in balanced order. Highly significant dose-related state dependent behavior occurred in both the training and test periods. The results were discussed in relation to state dependent learning, dissociation and opiate addiction.
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Hill, H.E., Jones, B.E. & Bell, E.C. State dependent control of discrimination by morphine and pentobarbital. Psychopharmacologia 22, 305–313 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00406869
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00406869