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Goal- and signal-directed incentive: conditioned approach, seeking, and consumption established with unsweetened alcohol in rats

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Abstract

Rationale

Many theories of addictive behavior propose that cues signaling drug administration influence the likelihood of drug-taking and drug-seeking behavior.

Objectives

We investigated the behavioral impact of cues associated with unsweetened ethanol and their interaction with responding maintained by ethanol self-administration. Our goal was to establish the influence of such cues on ethanol seeking.

Materials and methods

The experiment used a matching contingency and saccharin-fading procedure to establish equal levels of responding to two spatially distinct levers using unsweetened 10% ethanol solution. After ethanol self-administration was established, a brief cue light located alternately over each lever location was either paired or unpaired (control) with the opportunity to consume the same ethanol solution. Finally, self-administration was re-established, and the effect of the cue was measured in a transfer design.

Results

The reaction to lights paired with the opportunity to ingest unsweetened ethanol had three main effects: (1) induction of operant behavior reinforced by ethanol, (2) stimulation of ethanol-seeking behavior (drinker entries), and (3) cue-directed approach and contact behavior (i.e. autoshaping or sign-tracking). Cue-directed behavior to the light interacted with choice behavior in a manner predicted by the location of the cue light, enhancing responding only when the approach response did not interfere with the operant response.

Conclusions

These findings replicate and extend the effects of Pavlovian conditioning on ethanol-seeking and support-conditioned incentive theories of addictive behavior. Signals for ethanol influence spatial choice behavior and may be relevant to attentional bias shown to alcohol-associated stimuli in humans.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Lisa Brake, Tracy Estabrooks, Elaine Hounsell, and Patricia MacCullum for their assistance in the collection and analysis of data described here. This research was supported by a grant from the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada to Marvin D. Krank.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia Okanagan, 3333 University Way, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada

    Marvin D. Krank

  2. Department of Psychology, Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB E0A 3C0, Canada

    Susan O’Neill, Kyna Squarey & Jackie Jacob

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  1. Marvin D. Krank
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  2. Susan O’Neill
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  3. Kyna Squarey
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  4. Jackie Jacob
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Correspondence to Marvin D. Krank.

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Krank, M.D., O’Neill, S., Squarey, K. et al. Goal- and signal-directed incentive: conditioned approach, seeking, and consumption established with unsweetened alcohol in rats. Psychopharmacology 196, 397–405 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-007-0971-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-007-0971-0

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