F262. Modeling Opioid Maintenance Therapy in Rats: Effect of Chronic Buprenorphine on Responding for Drug-Paired Discrete Cues in a Non-Drug Context, Context-Induced Reinstatement of Drug Seeking, and Reacquisition of Oxycodone Self-Administration

High relapse rates perpetuate prescription opioid  addiction, which drives the current drug overdose epidemic in the US. Opioid agonist (buprenorphine, methadone) maintenance therapy is an effective treatment for prescription opioid relapse. Our goal is to establish an experimental procedure in rats trained to self-administer the prescription opio id oxycodone that will allow us to compare the efficacy of an established treatment (buprenorphine) with that of newer of opioid agonists currently developed for analgesia.
Source: Biological Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Source Type: research