Behavioral characterization of opioid mixed agonist-antagonists.

The effects of agonists and partial agonists of both mu and kappa receptor systems are described in several behavioral tests in rhesus monkeys. Procedures measuring drug discrimination, drug self-administration, drug dependence, and drug-induced analgesia are differentially sensitive to the agonist and antagonist effects of various opioids. The sensitivity of each of the procedures may be modified by altering behavioral parameters or dose of drug used to establish the behavioral effect.