N-methyl-D-aspartate produces discriminative stimuli in rats

Male Sprague Dawley rats were trained to discriminate an interoceptive effect associated with a subconvulsant dose (30 mg/kg i.p.) of the excitatory amino acid receptor agonist, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA). Approximately 60% of the rats learned to discriminate this compound from saline in 45 +/- 5 sessions, and the stimuli were dose dependent (ED50 value = 13.6 mg/kg i.p.). The specific NMDA receptor antagonist, 3-[+/-)-2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl)-propyl-1-phosphonic acid (CPP), blocked NMDA-induced discriminative stimuli with an ED50 value equal to 2 mg/kg i.p., confirming that the NMDA cue is mediated by activation of NMDA receptors. Through the use of NMDA discriminative stimuli, the consequences of NMDA excitation can be studied in vivo and compounds with potential NMDA antagonist properties can be identified.