PSYCHOLOGY MASTER'S THESIS ABSTRACT

Christina T. Galeano

MA-Research
May 2004

Buprenorphine: A Dose-Response Study of Expression of Conditioned Place Preference in Rats

    Conditioned place preference (CPP) is a behavioral technique used to evaluate the effects of psychoactive drugs on animals.  Repeated injections of drugs such as amphetamine or morphine in a unique environment can create a place preference.  Administration of Buprenorphine (BP), a mixed opioid agonist-antagonist, can reduce the expression of CPP.  The present study investigated the blocking effects of None, Low, and High dosages of BP on expression of Amphetamine- and Morphine-induced CPPs in experimental rats.  It further investigated the effects of BP on unconditioned place preference in control rats.

    Two experiments were performed and the change in place preference from pretest to posttest was determined by analysis of variance.  The first experiment was compromised by experimenter error.  The second showed a conditioned preference that was significant, but the drug, location and BP dose interaction was not significant, indicating there was no clear effect of BP at any level on amphetamine- and morphine-induced CPPs.

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