Abstract
Responses of rhesus monkeys were reinforced by delivery of either a pentobarbital (4.0 mg/ml) solution or a vehicle (water) or saccharin solution under a concurrent signaled differential reinforcement of low rates 30-s schedule. After 30 s of no responding, the first response on the pentobarbital or saccharin spout resulted in the delivery of the appropriate solution and reset the timing on both spouts (i.e. a mutually exclusive choice). In the first experiment, the concentration of saccharin was gradually increased across sessions. As saccharin concentration increased, pentobarbital deliveries decreased and saccharin as well as total session deliveries increased. In a second experiment, pentobarbital and 0.24 (mg/ml) saccharin were made available under concurrent signaled differential reinforcement of low rates 30-s schedules which operated independently. Under these conditions responding on one spout had no consequences with respect to the other spout. The reduction of pentobarbital deliveries was substantially attenuated when the choice was not mutually exclusive.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Beardsley PM, Lemaire GA, Meisch RA (1983) Effects of minimum-interreinforcer interval on ethanol-maintained performance of rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 19:843–847
Carroll ME (1985) Concurrent phencyclidine and saccharin access: presentation of an alternative reinforcer reduces drug intake. J Exp Anal Behav 43:131–144
Carroll ME, Meisch RA (1984) Increased drug-reinforced behavior due to food deprivation. In: Thompson T, Dews PB, Barrett JE (eds) Advances in behavioral pharmacology, vol 4. Academic Press, New York, pp 47–88
Carroll ME, Lac ST, Nygaard SL (1989) A concurrently available nondrug reinforcer prevents the acquisition or decreases the maintenance of cocaine-reinforced behavior. Psychopharmacology 91:23–29
Carroll ME, Carmona GC, May SA (1991) Modifying drug-reinforced behavior by altering the economic conditions of the drug and a nondrug reinforcer. J Exp Anal Behav 91:23–29
Committee on Care and Use of Laboratory Animals of the Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources, Commission Life Sciences, National Research Council (1985) Guide for the care and use of laboratory animals. US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health: NIH Publication No. 25-83, US Government Printing Office, Washington DC
DeNoble VJ, Svikis DS, Meisch RA (1982) Orally delivered pentobarbital as a reinforcer for rhesus monkeys with concurrent access to water: effects of concentration, fixed-ratio size, and liquid positions. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 16:113–117
Dworkin SI, Mirkis S, Smith JE (1990) Reinforcer interactions under concurrent schedules of food, water, and intravenous cocaine. Behav Pharmacol 1:327–338
Elsmore TF, Fletcher GV, Conrad DG, Sodetz FJ. (1980) Reduction of heroin intake in baboons by economic constraint. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 13:729–731
Ferster CB, Skinner BF (1957) Schedules of reinforcement. Appleton-Century-Crofts, New York
Findley JD (1962) An experimental outline for building and exploring multi-operant behavior repertories. J Exp Anal Behav 8:113–166
Gerber GJ, Bozarth MA, Spindler J, Wise RA (1985) Concurrent heroin self-administration and intracranial self-stimulation in rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 23:837–842
Gieske D (1978) Integrated drinking device for monkeys. Reports from the Research Laboratories of the Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota: PR-78-1
Griffiths RR, Wurster RM, Brady JV (1976) Discrete-trial choice procedure: effects of naloxone and methadone on choice between food and heroin. Pharmacol Rev 27:357–365
Henningfield JE, Meisch RA (1976) A drinking device for rhesus monkeys. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 4:609–610
Henningfield JE, Meisch RA (1978) Ethanol drinking by rhesus monkeys as a function of concentration. Psychopharmacology 57:133–136
Heyman GM, Oldfather CM (1992) Inelastic preference for ethanol in rats: an analysis of ethanol's reinforcing effects. Psychol Sci 3:122–130
Iglauer C, Woods JH (1974) Concurrent performances: reinforcement by different doses of intravenous cocaine in rhesus monkeys. J Exp Anal Behav 22:179–196
Johanson CE, Schuster CR (1975) A choice procedure for drug reinforcers: cocaine and methylphenadate in the rhesus monkey. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 193:676–688
Lemaire GA, Meisch RA (1984) Pentobarbital self-administration in rhesus monkeys: drug concentration and fixed-ratio size interactions. J Exp Anal Behav 42:37–49
Lemaire GA, Meisch RA (1985) Oral drug self-administration by rhesus monkeys: interactions between drug amount and fixed-ratio size. J Exp Anal Behav 44:377–389
Lemaire GA, Meisch RA (1991) Relative reinforcing effects of pentobarbital solutions orally self-administered by rhesus monkeys under fixed-ratio and signaled DRL schedules. Psychol Rec 41:551–583
Mackintosh NJ (1974) The psychology of animal learning. Academic Press, London
Meisch RA, Henningfield JE (1977) Drinking of ethanol by rhesus monkeys: experimental strategies for establishing ethanol as a reinforcer. Adv Exp Med Biol 85B:443–463
Meisch RA, Lemaire GA (1988) Oral self-administration of pentobarbital by rhesus monkeys: relative reinforcing effects under concurrent fixed-ratio schedules. J Exp Anal Behav 50:75–86
Meisch RA, Henningfield JE, Thompson T (1975) Establishment of ethanol as a reinforcer for rhesus monkeys via the oral route: initial results. Adv Exp Med Biol 59:323–342
Meisch RA, Lemaire GA, Cutrell EB (1992) Oral self-administration of pentobarbital by rhesus monkeys: relative reinforcing effects under concurrent signalled differential-reinforcement-of-low-rates schedules. Drug Alcohol Depend 30:215–225
Nader MA, Woolverton WL (1991) Effects of increasing the magnitude of an alternative reinforcer on drug choice in a discrete-trail choice procedure. Psychopharmacology 105:169–174
Nader MA, Woolverton WL (1992) Effects of increasing response requirement on choice between cocaine and food in the rhesus monkeys. Psychopharmacology 108:295–300
Neuringer AJ (1967) Effects of reinforcement magnitude on choice and rate of responding. J Exp Anal Behav 10:417–424
Poling, A, Thompson, T (1977a) Effects of delaying food availability contingent on ethanol-maintained lever pressing. Psychopharmacology 51:289–291
Poling A, Thompson, T (1977b) Suppression of ethanol-reinforced lever pressing by delaying food delivery. J Exp Anal Behav 28:271–283
Samson HH, Roehrs TA, Tolliver GA (1982) Ethanol reinforced responding in the rat: a concurrent analysis using sucrose as the alternate choice. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 17:333–339
Valenstein ES, Meyers WJ (1964) Rate-independent test of reinforcing consequences of brain stimulation. J Comp Physiol Psychol 57:52–60
Woolverton WL, Balster RL (1979) The effects of lithium on choice between cocaine and food in the rhesus monkey. Commun Psychopharmacol 3:309–318
Wurster RM, Griffiths RR, Findley JD, Brady JV (1977) Reduction of heroin self-administration in baboons by manipulation of behavioral and pharmacological conditions. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 7:519–528
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Macenski, M.J., Cutrell, E.B. & Meisch, R.A. Concurrent pentobarbital- and saccharin-maintained responding: effects of saccharin concentration and schedule conditions. Psychopharmacology 112, 204–210 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02244912
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02244912