Isolation housing decreases the effectiveness of morphine in the conditioned taste aversion paradigm

Male Long Evans rats were obtained at 21 days of age and were housed in either an aggregated (four per double cage) or isolated (one per single cage) condition for 6 weeks. They were then placed on a fluid deprivation schedule that allowed them access to fluids for 20 min daily. This schedule was maintained for the remainder of the experiment. Following habituation, sensitivity to morphine-induced conditioned taste aversion (CTA) was compared in the differentially housed rats. On the 1st day and every 5 days thereafter the rats were presented with a 0.1% solution of sodium saccharin for the 20-min drinking period, followed immediately by an injection of morphine (0, 2.5, 5.0, 10.0, or 20.0 mg/kg). On intervening days they received water as the fluid. No drugs were given on these days. There was no difference in baseline saccharin consumption as a function of housing condition. In comparison with the isolated rats, the grouped animals were more sensitive to the CTA-inducing properties of low doses of morphine. These data strengthen the already existing evidence for the influence of the early housing environment on drug sensitivity and provide additional support for the conclusion that variability in response to a number of drugs of abuse can be reduced by environmental means. Possible mechanisms for the differences between isolation and aggregation housed rats are discussed.