Conditioned place preference paradigm can be a mouse model of relapse to opiates
With the object of determining the usefulness of the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm as a model of relapse to opiates, the effects of the re-exposure to morphine are explored in male mice which had undergone a process of extinction of conditioning. Morphine (40 mg/kg) produces a CPP which lasts up to 15 days after conditioning. When it has completely extinguished (45 days), a non contingent re-exposure to the drug again produces the same preference. These results suggest that the CPP paradigm may be used in mice to study the mechanisms of relapse to opiates in addicts.