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Morphine ingestion: Genetic control in mice

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Abstract

C57BL/6J mice will drink large amounts of, and display a highly positive preference for, morphine sulfate when it is dissolved in an aqueous solution of sodium saccharin. In identical test situations DBA/2J mice will drink very little of, and display a strong avoidance toward, the morphine-saccharin solution. This clear separation between morphine-accepting and morphine-rejecting animals within a single species combined with a quick and simple method of inducing high levels of morphine ingestion could facilitate the discovery of causal factors in opiate addiction.

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Horowitz, G.P., Whitney, G., Smith, J.C. et al. Morphine ingestion: Genetic control in mice. Psychopharmacology 52, 119–122 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00439097

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00439097

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