Place conditioning with morphine and phencyclidine: dose dependent effects

In a place conditioning paradigm, rats were exposed to one of two distinctive environments following injection of drug or vehicle. Preference was measured under drug free conditions by allowing subjects free access to both settings and measuring where they spent more time. Comparisons were made between morphine and saline; PCP and saline; and one of several doses of morphine and a standard dose. Morphine was preferred over saline and, when compared to the reference dose, lower doses of morphine were less preferred and higher doses more preferred. PCP was never preferred over saline and under some conditions produced a conditioned place aversion. The ability to generate dose dependent effects with morphine should allow more sophisticated studies in which shifts in dose response curves are required.