Newsletter # 06

Animal models

The Conditioned Place Preference Test (CPP) is able to evaluate the abuse potential of compounds and it is therefore an important study to include in the development of a new compound or in the evaluation of a new target.
CPP is a well-accepted model to evaluate preferences for a specific environment that has been associated with a positive reward or a drug such as morphine. In the test a positive stimulus is paired with placement into a specific environment. After the conditioning phase, animals are allowed to explore the whole environment: the time spent in the compartments previously associated with the stimulus is used as an indicator of preference and a measure of reward learning.