ISRADIPINE PRODUCES NEITHER A CONDITIONED PLACE PREFERENCE NOR AVERSION

Isradipine (ISR) has been reported to block cocaine-induced conditioned place preference. Using this procedure, the pairing of this L-type calcium channel blocker, at doses of 2.5, 5.0 and 10 mg/kg, with a preferred (cue-distinct) environment was investigated. In a separate experiment, ISR injection (10 mg/kg) was paired with the less-preferred environment to determine whether ISR produces a place preference. Testing in the non-drugged state revealed that ISR conditioning failed to affect side preference in both experiments. The neutral affective properties of ISR may be relevant to the development of cocaine use/abuse treatment regimens.