Effects of ethanol on Pavlovian autoshaping in rats |
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Authors: | A Tomie Carlos Cunha Eva M Mosakowski Nicole M Quartarolo Larissa A Pohorecky Daniel Benjamin |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA, US;(2) Division of Neuropharmacology, Center of Alcohol Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA, US |
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Abstract: | Approach responses, consummatory behaviors, and directed motor responses maintained by food reward resemble autoshaping CRs
and are increased by lower doses of ethanol. This study evaluated the effects of presession IP injections of ethanol doses
(0.00, 0.25, 0.50, 0.70, or 1.00 g/kg) on the acquisition of lever-press autoshaping CR performance in groups of male Long-Evans
hooded rats. Paired groups received 15 daily sessions of Pavlovian autoshaping procedures, wherein the insertion of a retractable
lever for 5 s (CS) was followed by the response-independent presentation of food (US). Ethanol facilitated lever-press autoshaping
CR acquisition, as revealed by dose-related increases in the number of trials on which CRs were performed. The form of the
dose-effect curve was inverted U-shaped with maximal responding induced during sessions 1–5 by the 0.70 g/kg ethanol dose.
A similar dose-effect curve was observed during sessions 11–15, revealing that the effects of ethanol on autoshaping CR performance
were relatively stable. A pseudoconditioning control group injected presession with 0.50 g/kg ethanol received training wherein
the food US was presented randomly with respect to the lever CS. Few lever-presses were performed by the Random 0.50 group,
indicating that ethanol’s effects on autoshaping CR acquisition and maintenance observed in the Paired 0.50 group were not
due to its psychomotor activating effects. A non-injection control group performed more autoshaping CRs than did the control
group injected presession with saline, indicating that daily presession IP injections per se suppress autoshaping CR performance.
Results reveal that low doses of ethanol enhance Pavlovian conditioning of directed motor and consummatory-like responding
maintained by food reward. Implications for autoshaping accounts of impulsivity and drug abuse are considered.
Received: 15 December 1997 / Final version: 27 March 1998 |
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Keywords: | Autoshaping Ethanol Pavlovian conditioning Lever-press Rat Learning Impulsivity Drug abuse |
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