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Monday, August 10, 2009

Opioid antagonists block the acquisition of ethanol-mediated conditioned tactile preference in infant rats
Alcohol Volume 43, Issue 5, August 2009, Pages 347-358

It has been difficult to find conditioned preference for tactile cues paired with ethanol intoxication in rats. Toward understanding the ontogeny of ethanol reinforcement, we aimed at establishing a simple and reliable procedure for (1) assessing primary appetitive conditioning to ethanol in infant rats and (2) discerning the role the opioid system plays in ethanol-mediated conditioning at this age.

The study outlines a procedure that reveals appetitive conditioning to ethanol by infant rats. The results are discussed in terms of a potential ethanol-induced activation of the endogenous opioid system during the onset of the intoxication process.


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