The objectives of this program are to study the role of both behavioral and pharmacological variables in drug discrimination processes and to determine the effects of both acute and chronic drug interactions on complex behavioral processes. The baseline schedule of reinforcement maintaining responding will be varied in drug discrimination experiments to compare stimulus control under different schedules of reinforcement and to bias responding toward or away from making the drug response. Response bias and discrimination sensitivity will be analyzed by signal detection and analysis. Attempts will be made to compare drug effects on exteroceptive stimulus control with effects of the same drugs on interoceptive stimulus control exerted by the training drug in drug discrimination experiments. We will also attempt to establish drug discrimination without errors to compare stimulus control with this procedure with that under traditional training methods. The training drugs in drug discrimination experiments will include phencyclidine, opioid drugs, Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol, cocaine and benzodiazepines. Of particular interest will be drug interaction studies to determine how one drug modifies the stimulus control exerted by another drug. Interactions among Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol, cocaine, morphine and diazepam will be emphasized. In experiments on drug effects on complex behavioral baselines, behavior will be maintained under delayed matching-to-sample, single alternation, temporally spaced responding, repeated acquisition and fixed-consecutive number schedules. The effects of acute and chronic drug administration on these baselines will be determined. The same drugs and drug combinations used in the drug discrimination experiments will be emphasized. These experiments should provide valuable information as to how both pharmacological and behavioral variables influence the stimulus control exerted by drugs which, in turn, contributes to both drug abuse and non-compliance problems. The experiments on complex behavior should provide clues as to the consequences of drug taking on specific behavioral processes.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DA002251-10
Application #
3207210
Study Section
(SRC)
Project Start
1978-06-01
Project End
1990-06-30
Budget Start
1987-07-01
Budget End
1988-06-30
Support Year
10
Fiscal Year
1987
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Department
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
City
Little Rock
State
AR
Country
United States
Zip Code
72205
Wessinger, William D; Li, Mi; McMillan, Donald E (2011) Drug discrimination in pigeons trained to discriminate among morphine, U50488, a combination of these drugs, and saline. Behav Pharmacol 22:468-79
McMillan, D E; Wessinger, William D; Li, Mi (2009) Effects of drugs and drug combinations in pigeons trained to discriminate among pentobarbital, dizocilpine, a combination of these drugs, and saline. J Exp Anal Behav 92:387-412
Hendrickson, Howard P; Hardwick, William C; McMillan, D E et al. (2008) Bioavailability of (+)-methamphetamine in the pigeon following an intramuscular dose. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 90:382-6
Frawly, Kristyn; McMillan, Donald E (2008) Effects of gamma-hydroxybutyrate on punished responding in pigeons. Behav Pharmacol 19:77-9
Daniels, J R; Wessinger, W D; Hardwick, W C et al. (2006) Effects of anti-phencyclidine and anti-(+)-methamphetamine monoclonal antibodies alone and in combination on the discrimination of phencyclidine and (+)-methamphetamine by pigeons. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 185:36-44
Li, Mi; Wessinger, William D; McMillan, D E (2005) Effects of amphetamine-CNS depressant combinations and of other CNS stimulants in four-choice drug discriminations. J Exp Anal Behav 84:77-97
McMillan, D E; Hardwick, W C; Li, Mi (2002) Drug discrimination under concurrent variable-ratio variable-ratio schedules. J Exp Anal Behav 77:91-104
McMillan, D E; Li, Mi (2002) The discrimination of drug mixtures using a four-choice procedure in pigeons. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 164:207-13
McMillan, D E; Li, M (2001) LAD rats learn a three-key drug discrimination more rapidly and achieve a higher level of performance than HAD rats. Behav Pharmacol 12:545-8
McMillan, D E; Li, M; Hardwick, W C (2001) Schedule control of quantal and graded dose-effect curves in a drug-drug-saline discrimination. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 68:395-402

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