Effects of D2 dopamine receptor blockade with raclopride on intracranial self-stimulation and food-reinforced operant behaviour

To examine the involvement of D2 dopamine receptors in the neural mechanism of reinforcement, raclopride tartrate, a D2 specific dopamine antagonist with a relatively fast central action, was injected into 32 rats. The D2 antagonist reduced bar-pressing responses reinforced with electrical stimulation of the ventral tegmental area (ED₅₀=0.079 mol/kg) and those reinforced with food (ED₅₀=0.58 mol/kg) in 18–30 min after IP injection. The reduction in response rates could not be attributed to an interference with motor functions. An increase in the frequency of brain-stimulation pulses and a change in the schedule of food reinforcement, which respectively increased the baseline rate of responding, did not alter the effectiveness of raclopride. SCH 23390, a D1-specific dopamine antagonist, was sensitive to similar manipulation of reinforcement. These results seem to suggest that D1 and D2 antagonists may be acting at different locations in the neural mechanism underlying the reinforcement of operant behaviour.