Behavioral supersensitivity to apomorphine following chronic narcotic treatment in the guinea pig.

Male albino guinea pigs were treated for 3 weeks with methadone, morphine, haloperidol, or saline. One week and 5 weeks following termination of treatment they were challenged with the directly acting dopaminergic agonist apomorphine. At the week 1 test the haloperidol and saline groups did not differ, but behavioral supersensitivity was apparent in significantly elevated mean stereotypy scores of the methadone and morphine groups relative to the saline group. The source of differences in mean scores was a higher peak score rather than increased duration of action. At the week 5 test the scores of the methadone group were even higher, the morphine group's scores were equivalent to the saline group's, and the haloperidol group's scores were significant depressed. This study indicates that a 3-week treatment period with methadone or morphine is sufficient to induce dopaminergic supersensitivity and suggests that there may be different time courses for the retention or expression of supersensitivity following these narcotics.