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Conditioned drug reward enhances subsequent spatial learning and memory in rats

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Abstract

Rationale

Chronic exposure to drugs of abuse alters neural processes that normally promote learning and memory. A context that is repeatedly paired with reinforcing drugs will acquire secondary reinforcing properties (conditioned reward). However, the effects of conditioned reward on spatial learning are unknown.

Objective

Using the conditioned place preference procedure and Morris water maze task, we examined the role of conditioned reward or aversion in spatial learning.

Materials and methods

Groups of rats acquired morphine (10 mg/kg), cocaine (10 mg/kg), or oral sucrose (15%) conditioned place preference (CPP). Another group of morphine-dependent rats acquired conditioned place aversion (CPA) to a context paired with precipitated opiate withdrawal induced by naloxone injections (1 mg/kg). To examine the role of conditioned reward or aversion in spatial learning, rats were then exposed to the previously morphine-, cocaine-, sucrose- or naloxone-paired context for 10 min before training of spatial learning in the Morris water maze.

Results

Exposure to the morphine- or cocaine-paired but not the sucrose- or the naloxone-paired context decreased the latency to find the platform in the Morris water maze test.

Conclusions

Our results provide the first evidence that conditioned drug reward promotes spatial learning. We speculate that this enhancement of spatial learning by the drug-paired context may promote contextual-cue-induced relapse to drug taking by facilitating exploratory drug-seeking behaviors.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by the grants from Intramural Research Program of National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH, USA, the 985 talent program of Peking University (nos. 985-2-046-121 and 985-2-027-39), the New Century Talent Scientist Grant of Ministry of Education, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (nos. 30570576, 30670713, and 30611120528). We would like to thank Dr. Yavin Shaham for his help in preparation of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neuropharmacology, National Institute on Drug Dependence, Peking University, 38, Xue Yuan Road, HaiDian District, Beijing, 100083, China

    Hai-feng Zhai, Mei Zhao, Yi Qiu & Lin Lu

  2. Department of Physiology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA, USA

    Zhang-Yin Zhang

  3. Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA

    Udi E. Ghitza

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  1. Hai-feng Zhai
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  2. Zhang-Yin Zhang
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  6. Lin Lu
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Correspondence to Lin Lu.

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Zhai, Hf., Zhang, ZY., Zhao, M. et al. Conditioned drug reward enhances subsequent spatial learning and memory in rats. Psychopharmacology 195, 193–201 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-007-0893-x

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