Morphine binds to and activates specific opiate receptors that are involved in the control of various brain functions. LY341495 is a drug developed for research use that acts as a selective antagonist for group II metabotropic glutamate receptors.

The thesis work was conducted at the Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Helsinki, as part of neuropharmacological research. The aim was to study the effect of LY341495 on the generation of drug memory, tolerance and withdrawal symptoms, and the effect of LY341495 on the activation of brain cells. Animal models of addiction were used in the study, and the C57BL/6J wild-type mouse strain was used as experimental animals. The study used c-Fos as a marker of neuronal activity. The results were analyzed with statistical tests.

Due to the scope of the research, the amount of data obtained was large, which made the results reliable. Based on the results, LY341495 has an inhibitory effect on the generation of drug memory. However, it does not reduce the tolerance of morphine, nor does it increase or decrease withdrawal symptoms. The clear inhibitory effect of LY341495 on the generation of drug memory enables it to be used in addiction research in the future.