Meth Fed Rats Avoid Work

Primary Findings of the Study                                              

This experiment used eighteen male rats to study the effects of methamphetamine cognitively. It specifically focused on the rats’ levels of work aversion when faced with a barrier between them and their food reward. The idea of the experiment was to measure the effort that the rat would be willing to go in order to obtain his reward. After training and running two groups of rats through the maze, the rats that were given a binge dose of methamphetamine were less likely to climb over the taller barriers in order to obtain the reward. The controls climbed over the barriers without hesitation. The study was also careful to ensure that the results were not acute effects from the drug. These behaviors were seen as many as eleven days after the treatment was given.

Implication of These Findings

            If the animal model can be paralleled to human experience, then the study suggests that even after the immediate effects of meth have disappeared, a lingering effect may be a lack of effort in doing work. Other studies have noted the impulsivity of meth users was higher than their peers, but this study suggests that work aversion may be another side effect of meth abuse. This may contribute to the user continuing to abuse the drug because it is more comfortable or pleasurable to keep using than to work for something that may cause pain or discomfort.

Limitations of the Research

            The obvious limitation of the research would be that they are conducting this study in rats, and not in humans. With higher cognitive function, a person might be able to reason that doing work is a necessity, whereas the rats were trying to find a reward. However, this does provide valuable insight into another possible reason why meth abusers relapse after trying to quit. Another limitation would be that the researchers determined a set dosage that they considered a binge dosage. The effects may be different in regular abusers or in social abusers. While this study may not be directly applicable to humans, its gives another window into the complex world of drug addictions.

Kosheleff, A. R., Grimes, M., O'dell, S.,J., Marshall, J. F., & Izquierdo, A. (2012). Work aversion and associated changes in dopamine and serotonin transporter after methamphetamine exposure in rats. Psychopharmacology, 219(2), 411-20. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00213-011-2367-4

Abstract