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Selective increase in avoidance responding by methamphetamine in naive rats

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Abstract

Avoidance responses, extra responses (on avoidance lever) and wrong lever responses were measured in naive rats acquiring a discriminated avoidance in a 2 lever Skinner box, 30 min after methamphetamine (0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg). The smallest dose was ineffective; 0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg significantly increased the number of avoidance responses. This increase was not associated with a significant increase in the two other responses studied. The progressive increase (from the first to second part of the acquisition session) in avoidance responses was not accompanied by a parallel increase in the other responses. The position discrimination and the discrimination of the presence or absence of the conditioned stimulus was observed to be better in the drug groups.

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Kulkarni, A.S. Selective increase in avoidance responding by methamphetamine in naive rats. Psychopharmacologia 24, 449–455 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00423434

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00423434

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