Abstract
Male rats of Long-Evans strain were chronically administered increasing doses until a maximally tolerated maintenance-dose of morphine (400 mg/ kg/day), phenobarbital (400 mg/kg/day), ethanol (20ml of 50% v/v/day) or amphetamine (16 mg/kg/day) was reached. After several days of maintenance doses, the rats were withdrawn from those drugs. When grouped, morphine-withdrawn rats showed intermittent spontaneous-aggression (rearing, vocalization, attack-bites). Amphetamine (2 mg/kg) treatment potentiated morphine withdrawal aggression. However, animals withdrawn from phenobarbital, ethanol or amphetamine failed to show spontaneous aggression with or without amphetamine. Similarly, shock intensity required to elicit pain-induced aggression was significantly decreased in morphine-withdrawn rats but not in rats withdrawn from phenobarbital, ethanol or amphetamine. These results suggest that the aggression seen during abstinence is caused by specific changes in the central nervous system uniquely produced by the chronic administration of narcotic drugs.
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Puri, S.K., Lal, H. Reduced threshold to pain induced aggression specifically related to morphine dependence. Psychopharmacologia 35, 237–241 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00437752
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00437752