Abstract
Using a rectangular tilt cage, the aversive threshold to grid shock was defined as that intensity avoided 75% of the time. Each shock intensity (30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 μA) was presented for 10 min during the 50-min daily session. Various narcotic (codeine sulfate, meperidine hydrochloride) and narcotic antagonist (pentazocine, cyclazocine) analgesics, as well as a sedative hypnotic (sodium pentobarbital), were assayed using this procedure. Both the narcotic and narcotic antagonist analgesics reliably elevated the aversive threshold in a dose dependent manner. These results could not be accounted for in terms of drug induced sedation. Sodium pentobarbital, in agreement with the clinical literature, demonstrated poor analgesic properties and was able to reliably elevate the aversive threshold only in doses that severely hampered the execution of the escape response. This technique appears to be specifically sensitive to the analgesic properties of drugs. As such, it should be useful as a screening procedure in the development of new analgesics and for the investigation of possible mechanisms underlying drug addiction.
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