BACKGROUND Prescription opioid abuse continues to be a public health concern of epidemic proportions. Notwithstanding the extensive literature regarding opioid action, there has been little systematic research regarding the effects of opioid dependence and withdrawal on aspects of cognition-related behavior in laboratory animals. The present studies examined the effects of the prescription opioid oxycodone on learning processes in nonhuman primates. METHODS The ability of subjects to repeatedly learn novel touchscreen-based visual discriminations was examined during three conditions of opioid exposure. Discrimination learning was examined, first, during oxycodone self-administration (3-hr sessions, 0.1 mg/kg/injection) and, next, during non-contingent chronic treatment with oxycodone (10 mg/kg/day). Finally, discrimination learning was re-examined during antagonist-precipitated opioid withdrawal (0.001-0.1 mg/kg naltrexone) and, subsequently, following abrupt discontinuation of oxycodone treatment. RESULTS Although motoric behavior was disrupted by oxycodone, neither the development of discrimination learning nor steady-state performance were impaired following oxycodone self-administration or during non-contingent chronic oxycodone treatment. However, discrimination learning was substantially impaired during oxycodone withdrawal, whether elicited by naltrexone or by abrupt oxycodone discontinuation. Moreover, these learning impairments were concordant with autonomic signs of opioid withdrawal. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, the present studies indicate that impairment of learning processes can accompany the unconditioned signs of opioid withdrawal.

中文翻译：

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羟考酮治疗的非人类灵长类动物的歧视性学习。

背景技术处方阿片类药物滥用仍然是流行病的公共卫生问题。尽管有大量关于阿片类药物作用的文献，但关于阿片类药物依赖性和戒断对实验动物认知相关行为方面的影响的系统研究很少。本研究检查了阿片类药物羟考酮对非人类灵长类动物学习过程的影响。方法在三种阿片类药物暴露条件下，研究对象反复学习基于触摸屏的新型视觉辨别力的能力。首先在羟考酮自我给药期间（3小时，每次0.1 mg / kg /次）检查歧视学习，然后在羟考酮非特效慢性治疗期间（10 mg / kg /天）检查歧视学习。最后，在拮抗剂沉淀的阿片类药物停药（0.001-0.1 mg / kg纳曲酮）期间以及随后突然停止羟考酮治疗后，重新检查了歧视性学习。结果尽管羟考酮可破坏运动行为，但在羟考酮自我给药后或在非持续性慢性羟考酮治疗期间，歧视性学习的发展和稳态表现均未受到损害。但是，无论是由纳曲酮还是由突然的羟考酮停药引起的，羟考酮戒断期间的歧视性学习都受到了极大的损害。而且，这些学习障碍与阿片类药物戒断的自主神经症状相一致。结论综上所述，本研究表明学习过程的障碍可伴有阿片类药物戒断的无条件征象。