Effects of Opiates on Rewarding and Aversive Brain Stimulation in the Rat.

摘要

To study the effects of opiates on rewarding brain stimulation, bipolar electrodes aimed for the posterior lateral hypothalamus and the ventral tegmental region were implanted in rats. The rats were trained to self-stimulate these areas on a continuous reinforcement schedule. The facilitatory effect of morphine appears to be mediated through the catecholaminergic systems. In an experiment to study the analgesic effects of morphine on aversive stimulation, electrodes were placed in the central gray matter and tegmentum. The results suggest that morphine has a depressant action in the central gray region and tegmentum.