Biomaterial Database

Measuring Pain Avoidance-Like Behavior in Drug-Dependent Rats. 2018

Amanda R Pahng, and Scott Edwards

Department of Physiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana.

In contrast to their analgesic properties, excessive use of either opioids or alcohol produces a paradoxical emergence of heightened pain sensitivity to noxious stimuli, termed hyperalgesia, which may promote increased use of opioids or alcohol drinking to manage worsening pain symptoms. Hyperalgesia has traditionally been measured in rodents via reflex-based assays, including the von Frey method. To better model the motivational and affective dimensions of pain in a state of opioid/alcohol dependence and withdrawal, this unit describes the use of a non-reflex-based method for measuring pain avoidance-like behavior in dependent rats. In the mechanical conflict-avoidance task, rats run across probes of varying heights to avoid a bright aversive light and to reach a dark goal chamber. A longer latency to exit onto the nociceptive probes reflects increased pain avoidance-like behavior during withdrawal. Mechanical conflict-avoidance testing can be repeated to provide both baseline assessment of pain avoidance behavior and pain avoidance measures after the induction of dependence.© 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D009042	Motivation	Those factors which cause an organism to behave or act in either a goal-seeking or satisfying manner. They may be influenced by physiological drives or by external stimuli.	Incentives,Disincentives,Expectations,Disincentive,Expectation,Incentive,Motivations
D010146	Pain	An unpleasant sensation induced by noxious stimuli which are detected by NERVE ENDINGS of NOCICEPTIVE NEURONS.	Suffering, Physical,Ache,Pain, Burning,Pain, Crushing,Pain, Migratory,Pain, Radiating,Pain, Splitting,Aches,Burning Pain,Burning Pains,Crushing Pain,Crushing Pains,Migratory Pain,Migratory Pains,Pains, Burning,Pains, Crushing,Pains, Migratory,Pains, Radiating,Pains, Splitting,Physical Suffering,Physical Sufferings,Radiating Pain,Radiating Pains,Splitting Pain,Splitting Pains,Sufferings, Physical
D010147	Pain Measurement	Scales, questionnaires, tests, and other methods used to assess pain severity and duration in patients or experimental animals to aid in diagnosis, therapy, and physiological studies.	Analgesia Tests,Analogue Pain Scale,Formalin Test,McGill Pain Questionnaire,Nociception Tests,Pain Assessment,Pain Intensity,Pain Severity,Tourniquet Pain Test,Visual Analogue Pain Scale,Analog Pain Scale,Assessment, Pain,McGill Pain Scale,Visual Analog Pain Scale,Analgesia Test,Analog Pain Scales,Analogue Pain Scales,Formalin Tests,Intensity, Pain,Measurement, Pain,Nociception Test,Pain Assessments,Pain Intensities,Pain Measurements,Pain Questionnaire, McGill,Pain Scale, Analog,Pain Scale, Analogue,Pain Scale, McGill,Pain Severities,Pain Test, Tourniquet,Questionnaire, McGill Pain,Scale, Analog Pain,Scale, Analogue Pain,Scale, McGill Pain,Severity, Pain,Test, Analgesia,Test, Formalin,Test, Nociception,Test, Tourniquet Pain,Tests, Nociception,Tourniquet Pain Tests
D006930	Hyperalgesia	An increased sensation of pain or discomfort produced by minimally noxious stimuli due to damage to soft tissue containing NOCICEPTORS or injury to a peripheral nerve.	Hyperalgesia, Tactile,Hyperalgesia, Thermal,Hyperalgia,Hyperalgia, Mechanical,Hyperalgia, Primary,Hyperalgia, Secondary,Allodynia,Allodynia, Mechanical,Allodynia, Tactile,Allodynia, Thermal,Hyperalgesia, Mechanical,Hyperalgesia, Primary,Hyperalgesia, Secondary,Hyperalgesic Sensations,Mechanical Allodynia,Mechanical Hyperalgesia,Tactile Allodynia,Thermal Allodynia,Allodynias,Hyperalgesias,Hyperalgesias, Thermal,Hyperalgesic Sensation,Mechanical Hyperalgia,Mechanical Hyperalgias,Primary Hyperalgia,Primary Hyperalgias,Secondary Hyperalgia,Secondary Hyperalgias,Sensation, Hyperalgesic,Sensations, Hyperalgesic,Thermal Hyperalgesia
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D001362	Avoidance Learning	A response to a cue that is instrumental in avoiding a noxious experience.	Aversion Behavior,Aversion Learning,Aversive Behavior,Aversive Learning,Avoidance Behavior,Aversion Behaviors,Aversive Behaviors,Avoidance Behaviors,Behavior, Aversion,Behavior, Aversive,Behavior, Avoidance,Behaviors, Aversion,Behaviors, Aversive,Behaviors, Avoidance,Learning, Aversion,Learning, Aversive,Learning, Avoidance
D001522	Behavior, Animal	The observable response an animal makes to any situation.	Autotomy Animal,Animal Behavior,Animal Behaviors
D017208	Rats, Wistar	A strain of albino rat developed at the Wistar Institute that has spread widely at other institutions. This has markedly diluted the original strain.	Wistar Rat,Rat, Wistar,Wistar Rats
D017288	Pain Threshold	Amount of stimulation required before the sensation of pain is experienced.	Pain Thresholds,Threshold, Pain,Thresholds, Pain