Morphine enhancement of shuttle avoidance prevented by alpha-methyltyrosine.

Rats were given 6 days of training (180 trials) to make a two-way (shuttle) avoidance response. "Poor performers" making less than 50% avoidances in the 6th block of 30 tials were given drug treatments on the next 2 days. Both morphine sulfate (15 mg/kg) and d-amphetamine sulfate (1 mg/kg) increased the avoidance level by 70-100%. Prior treatment with alpha-methyltyrosine (50 mg/kg) prevented the effects of both drugs. Nalorphine hydrochloride (5 mg/kg) also blocked the effect of morphine. The action of alpha-methyltyrosine to block enhancement of avoidance is taken to indicate that this effect of morphine is attributable to a catecholamine-dependent excitatory component of its activity profile.