Discriminative stimulus properties of (+)-oxaprotiline in rats.

Using a drug discrimination procedure on a fixed ratio (FR) 10 schedule of reinforcement, rats were trained to distinguish between the stimulus properties of the selective inhibitor of noradrenaline uptake (+)-oxaprotiline ((+)-OXA) and saline. Fifty per cent of the rats that learned to reliably discriminate (+)-OXA from saline, reached high discrimination accuracy. In substitution testing, maprotiline (MAP) and desipramine (DMI) produced dose-related responding on the (+)-OXA lever. (-)-OXA failed to show substitution. The results of our findings demonstrate that (+)-OXA may be used as a discriminative cue in rats. The NA uptake inhibition seems to be involved in the effect of this drug.