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Changes in sensitivity of morphine-induced circling behaviour after chronic treatment and persistence after withdrawal in rats

Nature volume 260, pages 159–161 (1976)Cite this article

Abstract

BEHAVIOURAL effects of morphine may be mediated, at least in part, by functional changes in the dopaminergic nigrostriatal system1. Thus, for example, acute administration of morphine increases the rate of dopamine turnover in the striatum (for examples refs 2–4, and nigrostriatal lesions block symptoms of morphine withdrawal5–7. Spontaneous turning in circles after drug treatment in rats has been reported to be an index of an intrinsic asymmetry between left and right nigrostriatal pathways8–12. We now report that both acute morphine administration and cessation of chronic morphine administration induce this rotation, which persists for at least 2 months after withdrawal. The data suggest that morphine induces the synthesis of an endogenous morphine-like substance13–15 which persists long after morphine is eliminated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Fifth Avenue and 100th Street, New York, New York, 10029

    STANLEY D. GLICK & JOHN M. MORIHISA

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  1. STANLEY D. GLICK
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  2. JOHN M. MORIHISA
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GLICK, S., MORIHISA, J. Changes in sensitivity of morphine-induced circling behaviour after chronic treatment and persistence after withdrawal in rats. Nature 260, 159–161 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/260159a0

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