Interaction of amphetamine and naloxone in feeding behavior in guinea pigs.

Chronic naloxone treatment of schedule-fed guinea pigs caused an initial anorexia followed by a resumption of food and water intake, despite the continued presence of the narcotic antagonist. During this state of chronic naloxone treatment, amphetamine exerted a similar degree of anorexia to that in animals not pretreated with naloxone. In contrast, amphetamine tolerant guinea pigs exhibited supersensitivity to naloxone with respect to feeding behavior. Since chronic amphetamine exposure results in an increased level of beta-endorphin in the hypothalamus it is suggested that an enhanced endorphinergic activity compensates for the effect of amphetamine on feeding mechanisms.