Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Brain acetylcholine in morphine pellet implanted rats given naloxone

  • Published:
Psychopharmacologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Adult male rats were implanted with intraventricular (ivt.) brain cannulae for injection of 5 Μg of acetylseco-hemicholinium-3 (acetylseco HC-3) as a means of studying acetylcholine (ACh) utilization during morphine withdrawal. Animals were made dependent by implanting s.c. two 75 mg morphine base pellets 24 hrs apart. On the 4th day animals were given 10 mg/kg of naloxone i.p. and/or 5 Μg acetylseco HC-3 ivt. and sacrificed by decapitation at various times. The brains were removed and assayed for ACh using a pyrolysis gas Chromatographie procedure. Total brain ACh before or after acetylseco-HC-3 was not altered at 5, 30, 60 and 120 but was decreased at 10 min after naloxone. These results are in sharp contrast to our previous data of enhanced brain ACh utilization in withdrawn rats made dependent to morphine by several weeks of twice daily injections. It is apparent that short term morphine pellet administration does not produce the marked neurochemical and behavioral changes of long term morphine injections.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Akera, T., Brody, T. M.: The addiction cycle to narcotics in the rat and its relation to catecholamines. Biochem. Pharmacol. 17, 675–688 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Altaffer, F. B., de Balbian, Verster, F., Hall, S., Long, C. J., D'Encarnocao, P.: A simple and inexpensive cannula technique for chemical stimulation of the brain. Physiol. Behav. 5, 119–121 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhargava, H. H., Way, E. L.: Morphine tolerance, dependence and withdrawal and brain acetylcholine. Pharmacolist 16, 260 (1974)

    Google Scholar 

  • BlÄsig, J., Hertz, A., Reinhold, K., Zieglglansberger, S.: Development of physical dependence on morphine in respect to time and dosage and quantification of the precipitated withdrawal syndrome in rats. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 33, 19–38 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheney, D. L., Hanin, I.: Effect of acute and chronic morphine on specific radioactivity of choline and acetylcholine in mouse brain. Fed. Proc. 32, 757 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Colasanti, B., Kirchman, A., Khazan, N.: EEG and REM sleep in morphine abstinence rats: s.c. pellets vs. i.v. administration. (In preparation, 1974)

  • Domino, E. F., Wilson, A. E.: Effect of narcotic analgetic agonists and antagonists on rat brain acetylcholine. J. Pharmacol. exp. Ther. 184, 18–32 (1973a)

    Google Scholar 

  • Domino, E. F., Wilson, A. E.: Enhanced brain acetylcholine utilization during morphine withdrawal in the rat. Nature (Lond.) 243, 285–286 (1973b)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaymakcalan, S., Woods, L. A.: Nalorphine-induced “abstinence syndrome” in morphine tolerant albino rats. J. Pharmacol. exp. Ther. 117, 112–116 (1956)

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin, W. R., Wikler, A., Eades, C. G., Prescor, F. T.: Tolerance to and physical dependence on morphine in rats. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 4, 247–260 (1963)

    Google Scholar 

  • Labrecque, G., Domino, E. F.: Liberation d'acetylcholine due neocortex du chat après administration aique et chronique de morphine. Annal de L'Association Candienne FranÇaise pour l'Avancement de la Science 40, 123 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Large, W. A.: Effects of morphine, morphine analogues and morphine antagonists on central and peripheral cholinergic systems. Doctoral Thesis, University of London 1972

  • Large, W. A., Milton, A. S.: The effect of acute and chronic morphine administration on brain acetylcholine levels in the rat. Brit. J. Pharmacol. 38, 451P-452P (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, C. A., Hengeveld, C. A., de Balbian, Verster, F.: Improved polyethylene cannulation techniques. Physiol. Behav. 4, 123–124 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt, D. E., Speth, R. C., Welsch, F., Schmidt, M. S.: The use of microwave radiation in the determination of acetylcholine in the rat brain. Brain Res. 38, 377–389 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Szilagyi, P. I. A., Green, J. P., Brown, O. M., Margolis, S.: The measurement of nanogram amounts of acetylcholine in tissues by pyrolysis gas chromatography. J. Neurochem. 19, 2555–2566 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Tilson, H. A., Rech, R. H., Stolman, S.: Hyperalgesia during withdrawal as a means of measuring the degree of dependence in morphine dependent rats. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 28, 287–300 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Way, E. L., Loh, H. H., Shen, F.: Simultaneous quantitative assessment of morphine tolerance and physical dependence. J. Pharmacol. exp. Ther. 167, 1–8 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wei, E.: Quantification of precipitated abstinence in morphine dependent rats. Fed. Proc. 31, 527 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

    Edward F. Domino & Ann E. Wilson

Authors
  1. Edward F. Domino
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ann E. Wilson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Supported in part by grant DA 00830, USPHS.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Domino, E.F., Wilson, A.E. Brain acetylcholine in morphine pellet implanted rats given naloxone. Psychopharmacologia 41, 19–22 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00421300

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00421300

Key words

Search

Navigation