Conditioned place preference produced by the psychostimulant cathinone.

Previous work has indicated that the psychostimulant cathinone produces a location preference in the conditioned place preference task. The present study expanded upon this earlier work by examining the dose-response nature of cathinone-induced conditioned place preference, as well as testing its effect upon spontaneous locomotor activity. At doses ranging from 0.2 to 1.6 mg/kg, cathinone produced a conditioned place preference at all but the lowest dose, and the highest dose but not the lowest dose increased locomotor activity. Results are discussed in terms of dopaminergic mediation of conditioned place preference and the relationship between conditioned place preference and locomotion being subserved by the same neuronal system.