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Updated: Jul 2, 2026

Assessment of Cocaine-induced Behavioral Sensitization and Conditioned Place Preference in Mice
Published on: February 18, 2016
Study blinding and correlations between perceived group assignment and outcome in a cocaine pharmacotherapy trial
Catharine E Fairbairn1, William D Dundon, Hu Xie
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
Abstract:
While much research has suggested that the integrity of the blind is compromised in psychotropic drug trials, little research has been conducted on blinding in substance abuse trials. The current study examines the integrity of the blind in an outpatient pharmacotherapy trial investigating the effectiveness of amantadine and propranolol in treating cocaine addiction. Results suggest that neither nurses (N = 174, kappa = 0.08, p = 0.22) nor participants (N = 163, kappa = 0.09, p = 0.26) could accurately predict treatment assignment. Furthermore, nurses' perceptions of treatment assignment were significantly related to trial completion, medication compliance, and cocaine use--results that may have training implications for medical personnel.
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