Chronic intermittent heroin produces locomotor sensitization and long-lasting enhancement of conditioned reinforcement.

In a previous study we showed that chronic intermittent heroin in rats enhanced responding with conditioned reinforcement and reversal learning of a conditioned magazine approach task when tested three days after the heroin treatment. Whether or not this enhanced appetitive learning persists after a protracted withdrawal period remains unknown and constitutes the aim of the present study. Forty-eight male Long Evans rats were each exposed to positive pairings of a light stimulus and food for 4 consecutive daily sessions. Then, two groups of rats received saline and two groups received heroin (2 mg/kg) injections before placement in activity monitors for 9 consecutive daily sessions. This was followed by testing in operant conditioning chambers where one lever produced the light stimulus previously paired with food and another no stimulus. For one saline and one heroin group this testing occurred after 2 days of withdrawal while for the other saline and heroin groups it occurred after 30 days of withdrawal. The results indicate that animals treated with heroin displayed progressively and significantly greater locomotor activity across sessions while animals treated with saline displayed locomotor activity that remained low and stable across sessions. In addition, the heroin groups in each withdrawal condition displayed significantly enhanced responding with conditioned reinforcement compared to their respective saline control groups. These results demonstrate that chronic intermittent heroin enhances appetitive learning for natural reinforcers and motivational processes and that this effect persists even after 30-days of withdrawal.