Noninvasive subthreshold auricular electrical stimulation reduces the severity of precipitated and abrupt opiate...

The objective of this study was to use noninvasive, subthreshold auricular electrical stimulation (AES) as a treatment to reduce the severity of precipitated and of abrupt opiate withdrawal. Sixty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into six groups. The first three groups were used to study the effects of AES on naloxone-precipitated withdrawal; the other three groups were used to examine the influence of AES on abrupt withdrawal. Morphine dependence was induced by multiple injections of the drug on an incremental staircase dosage regimen for 6 days. The results obtained from first three groups show that AES reduced the severity of the withdrawal signs precipitated by naloxone injection (0.5 mg/kg SC) by more than 75% (p < 0.01). The observations obtained from the other three groups show that AES reduced the severity of abrupt withdrawal for at least 4 h as assessed by measuring the locomotor behavior of the animals. This study demonstrates that noninvasive subthreshold AES is effective in reducing the severity of precipitated and of abrupt opiate withdrawal.