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| BPH Mon PM |
| Monday, May 26, 2014 |
| 7:00 PM–9:00 PM |
| W375a-d (McCormick Place Convention Center) |
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| 1. Moderate Developmental Ethanol Exposure Increases S-R Habit Formation in Adult Zebrafish |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Basic Research |
| MATTHEW PARKER (Queen Mary University of London), Alistair Brock (Queen Mary University of London), Caroline H. Brennan (Queen Mary University of London) |
| Abstract: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) are characterized by a range of teratogenic and psychological defects, and represent the leading non-hereditary cause of mental retardation, with the prevalence estimated at 2 - 5% in the USA and Western Europe. Low-moderate alcohol consumption during gestation is associated with a range of subtle cognitive and behavioral defects, including impulsivity and inattention, deficits in social behaviour and a propensity to develop addiction. The offspring of rats prenatally exposed to moderate levels of ethanol have reductions of dendritic spine density and length in the shell region of the NAc. As this region is known to mediate the shift between response-outcome and stimulus-response (habit) learning, this raises the possibility that prenatal exposure to ethanol may increase the rate at which offspring develop habits, thus providing a potential endophenotype that predicts the propensity to develop addiction. Here, we tested this hypothesis with a zebrafish model. Initially, we validated the model by examining two known behavioural outcomes of moderate prenatal ethanol exposure: anxiety and conditioned place preference. We found that zebrafish exposed to ethanol showed increased anxiety levels and larger increase in place-preference for ethanol. Finally, we found that the ethanol-exposed fish developed S-R learning earlier in the learning process than non-treated controls. Results are discussed in the context of the mechanisms mediating addiction. |
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| 2. Developing and Validating Automated Assays for Zebrafish Behavioural Analyses and Drug Discovery |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Basic Research |
| ARI SUDWARTS (Queen Mary, University of London), Matthew Parker (Queen Mary, University of London), Caroline H. Brennan (Queen Mary University of London) |
| Abstract: Within biomedical research, behavioural analyses are commonly been performed on mammals. However, in recent years zebrafish have emerged as an alternative model for behaviour. Their ability to perform two-choice discrimination tasks has huge implications for translational biomedical research. The cognitive skills required for to perform this task (long-term and short-term memory, attention, etc.) demonstrate their efficacy for use in researching neurodegenerative diseases. By reversing this simple task, and/or introducing a shift in interdimentional sets, this behaviour can be used to assess early markers of cognitive decline. Further, it suggests their potential use in drug discrimination assays. Here we present data from our automated assay systems that demonstrate the ability of zebrafish to performing simple 2-choice discrimination tasks, reversal learning, and set shifting. |
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| 3. Effects of Paired Housing and d-Amphetamine Administration on Delay Discounting in Lewis and Fischer 344 Rats |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Basic Research |
| MARISSA TURTURICI (West Virginia University), Karen G. Anderson (West Virginia University) |
| Abstract: Lewis and Fischer 344 rats differ in various behavioral and neurochemical measures. Lewis rats make more impulsive choices in a delay-discounting task than Fischer 344 rats. In addition, there are disparities between these strains in the number of receptors present in several brain areas that may impact behavior. There is some evidence that social housing of rats may result in neurochemical and behavioral changes that result in decreased delay discounting, i.e., decreased impulsive choice. The present experiment examined impulsive choice in a delay-discounting procedure with pair-housed Lewis and Fischer 344 rats. The data constitute a systematic replication of a previous study from our lab using singly housed Lewis and Fischer 344 rats (Huskinson, Krebs & Anderson, 2010). d-Amphetamine was administered acutely in doses of 0.1 – 1.8 mg/kg. Results are being compared to archival data from the study using singly housed rats. Strain differences in baseline delay discounting and effects of d-amphetamine on delay discounting will be discussed. |
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| 4. Effects of Glucose Ingestion on Delay Discounting in Humans |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Basic Research |
| BRANTLEY JARVIS (University of Florida), Rachel Cassidy (Brown University), Jesse Dallery (University of Florida) |
| Abstract: Delay discounting (DD) refers to the extent to which a reinforcer’s value decreases as the delay to its receipt increases. Although individual discounting rates tend to be stable some environmental manipulations have been shown to alter these rates. Understanding factors that influence DD may offer insights into the mechanisms behind problem behaviors characterized by high impulsivity (e.g., addiction). One physiological factor, increased blood glucose level, was recently shown to decrease DD. We attempted to directly replicate this finding and extend this work using a more robust measure of discounting. In Experiment 1, 20 undergraduates completed a version of the Multiple Choice Questionnaire to measure DD before and after consuming either a soda with glucose or artificial sweetener. In Experiment 2, 56 undergraduates completed the same procedure but with a titrating adjusting amount DD measure. k values from Experiment 1, which indicate the steepness of individual hyperbolic discounting functions, suggest that there was no systematic effect of glucose on DD. Similarly in Experiment 2, area under the curve measures showed no significant difference in discounting before and after consuming glucose relative to an artificial sweetener. These findings are inconsistent with previous work and indicate that glucose ingestion does not influence DD. |
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| 5. Effects of Citalopram and Bromazepam on the Reinforcement Value of a Conditioned Reinforcer in a Progressive Ratio Schedule. |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Basic Research |
| Yulla Christoffersen Knaus (Universidade de São Paulo), MIRIAM GARCIA-MIJARES (Universidade de Sao Paulo) |
| Abstract: The use of psychoactive drugs has increased worldwide. Research on the area has followed, although several gaps remain, such as their effect on the Reinforcing Value (RV) of conditioned reinforcers (CR). Many are known to affect the RV of Primary Reinforcers (PRf), but such findings cannot be generalized to CRs without empirical data. The present study proposed to obtain such data, for two commonly used drugs, Citalopram (CIT) and Bromazepam (BRO). 20 female, genetically homogenous Wistar rats were used, subdivided in four groups (Control, CIT, BRO and CITBRO) according to treatment. Drugs were administered intraperitoneally according to individual weight (Cit - 10 mg/kg ; Bro - 1 mg/kg), taking into account daily variations. Subjects underwent six phases: (1) shapping, (2) FR2, (3) Progressive Ratio (PR), (4) PR with drug treatment, (5) Removal of the PRf and (6) Removal of the PRf and CR. PRf was 10% sugar water and CR was a contingent light stimulus. Results did not seem to agree with the literature on PRf, having occurred a decrease in RV for most subjects, additional to a natural time-related decrease. Preliminary data analysis seems to suggest an increase in CR sensibility with BRO and the opposite with CIT. |
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| 6. Adolescent Cocaine Exposure Disrupts Impulsivity, Reversal Learning, and Cocaine Sensitivity in Adult Mice |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Basic Research |
| KATHRYN TEIXEIRA (Auburn University), Blake A. Hutsell (Auburn University), M. Christopher Newland (Auburn University) |
| Abstract: Behavioral correlates of substance abuse include impaired choice and decision-making, processes that mature during the adolescent period. Cocaine promotes dopamine activity in the in the prefrontal cortex, a region that plays a large role in decision-making and impulse control. During adolescence, this region experiences prominent neural development , the formation of new synapses, and extensive use-dependent pruning of extraneous dendritic connections in a use-dependent fashion, all of which could be distorted by chronic cocaine use. It is possible that chronic cocaine exposure during adolescence will affect decision-making and impulse control later in life. Adolescent mice were exposed to 30 mg/kg/day of cocaine or a saline vehicle for 14 days. When they were adults, they were examined on a spatial discrimination reversal (SDR), delayed discounting procedure, and acute cocaine challenges on a delayed discounting baseline. Adolescent exposure to cocaine resulted in perseverative responding on the SDR during the first reversal and increased sensitivity to reinforcer delay on the delayed discounting procedure. Acute cocaine blunted this delay sensitivity in the mice exposed to cocaine as adolescents but had little effect on controls. [supported in part by a fellowship to KMT by the A.U. Center for Molecular Biology] |
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| 7. Ketamine-Induced Disruption of an Incremental Repeated Acquisition Procedure is Marginally Attenuated by Clozapine and Haloperidol |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Basic Research |
| ANDREW SHEN (Auburn University), M. Christopher Newland (Auburn University) |
| Abstract: Animal models of schizophrenia utilize pharmacological agents to induce behavior that resembles symptoms of schizophrenic. NMDA antagonists, e.g. ketamine, have been reported to induce positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia in animals. Typical and atypical antipsychotics vary in their ability to attenuate ketamine-induced deficits in the rodent. In particular, atypical antipsychotics, e.g. clozapine, appear more suitable for treating ketamine-induced deficits in prepulse inhibition of the startle response (a measure of sensorimotor gating) than typical antipsychotics, e.g. haloperidol. However, fewer studies have used complex operant procedures to measure differences in the efficacy to block ketamines disruption between the two types of antipsychotics. The current study aimed to investigate the extent to which clozapine and haloperidol attenuate disruption caused by acute ketamine in BALB/c mice. Subjects learned a multiple schedule incremental repeated acquisition (IRA) procedure. A dose of 30 mg/kg ketamine was administered alone and with clozapine or haloperidol pretreatment. Results showed that ketamine alone severely disrupted responding in both components of the IRA procedure. Clozapine attenuated ketamine-induced deficits to a marginally greater extent than haloperidol, but recovery was only partial. The present findings tentatively support literature proposing reduced cognitive disruption by atypical antipsychotics relative to typical antipsychotics in rodent models of schizophrenia. |
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| 8. Some Behavioral Effects of Mefloquine on Schedule-Controlled Responding in the Rat |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Basic Research |
| ERIN N. ROBY (Allegheny College), Alexis E. Crump (Allegheny College), Rodney D. Clark (Allegheny College) |
| Abstract: The behavioral effects of Mefloquine (MFQ) were compared with those of Phencyclidine (PCP), Ketamine, Dizocilpine (MK-801), and NMDA in rats responding under a fixed interval (FI) schedule of food presentation. A low dose of MFQ did not alter response rates relative to saline values. However, intermediate doses of MFQ produced marginal increases in response rates. At the highest dose, MFQ generated a marked reduction in responding. Lower doses of the Dissociative Anesthetic, PCP produced dose-related increases in overall response rates as compared to saline control rates. Intermediate to high doses substantially suppressed responding relative to control levels. The remaining Dissociative Anesthetics Ketamine and Dizocilpine engendered similar patterns of behavioral disruption with Dizocilpine about 10 times more potent than PCP and Ketamine substantially less potent than PCP. NMDA, on the other hand produced dose-related decreases in overall rates of responding. |
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| 9. Anti-Anxiety Drug Ameliorates Negative Incentive Shift-Induced Attack in Pigeons |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Basic Research |
| ANDREW T. FOX (The University of Kansas), Stephen Fowler (The University of Kansas), Dean C. Williams (The University of Kansas) |
| Abstract: Chronic aberrant behavior, such as aggression, stereotypy, or self-injury, is frequently observed among individuals with developmental disabilities. Functional analyses of these behaviors often indicate that they are maintained by escape from task demands or otherwise undesirable conditions. Anecdotal evidence, survey data, and laboratory studies have indicated that transitions between more-and-less desirable scenarios may be particularly likely to evoke chronic aberrant behavior. In an animal model of these "rich-to-lean" transitions, pigeons key-pecked in two multiple-schedule components according to identical fixed-ratio requirements with different reinforcer magnitudes. During probe sessions, a mirror was present in the operant chamber and aggression toward the other pigeon was measured using force transducers placed behind the mirror. Fixed-ratio pausing was longest during rich-to-lean transitions in all 4 pigeons and attack behavior was highest during these transitions in 3 of 4 pigeons. Triazolam, a short-acting sedative-hypnotic of the benzodiazepine class, reduced attack behavior at moderate doses in those same 3 pigeons. |
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| 10. College Students Delay Discounting of Caffeine and Money |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Basic Research |
| SHEA M. LEMLEY (The University of Kansas), David P. Jarmolowicz (The University of Kansas), Michael Sofis (The University of Kansas), Jennifer L. Hudnall (The University of Kansas), Derek D. Reed (The University of Kansas) |
| Abstract: Delay discounting is a change in the subjective value of a commodity as a result of a delay to its receipt. Previous studies have shown that individuals discount consumable commodities (e.g., sex, drugs, etc.) more rapidly than money, yet the relative discounting of caffeine and money remains unknown. The current study measured delay discounting of caffeine and money in a sample of college students. Participants were enrolled in applied behavioral science undergraduate classes at a large Midwestern university. Upon arrival to the lab, participants received a questionnaire where they reported preferred caffeinated beverage, frequency of caffeine consumption, and an equivalency value regarding how many caffeinated beverages would be worth $100 to them. Each participants preferred caffeinated beverage and equivalency value were used to create a customized caffeine delay discounting form based on the Kirby delay discounting task. After completing unrelated computerized tasks, participants completed the customized caffeine discounting form and the standard Kirby discounting form in a paper and pencil format. Data show differential rates of delay discounting across commodities, with participants discounting delayed caffeine at higher rates than delayed money. |
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| 11. Diurnal Activity Under Chronic Ethanol Administration in Rhesus Monkeys |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Basic Research |
| ANGELES PEREZ-PADILLA (Oregon Health & Science University, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia
), Henryk Urbanski (Oregon Health & Science University), Christa Helms (Oregon Health & Science University), Kathleen A. Grant (Oregon Health & Science University
) |
| Abstract: Behavioral interaction of physical activity and ethanol has been observed repeatedly in both humans and animals models however mechanism responsible remains unclear. Our current research analyzes the voluntary activity level and the voluntary ethanol consumption using oral ethanol self-administration in nonhuman primate model. Adult experimental rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) were given access to ethanol 22h/day (n=11). We observed that higher-moderate monkeys drinkers maintained more activity level than lower and control monkeys during the diurnal period and also, during first ethanol two hours and half interval. The data suggest that activity level before could somehow be a good preceptor of later ethanol consumption. |
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| 12. The Neurobehavioral Effects of Chronic Atrazine Exposure |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Basic Research |
| JENNIFER L. WALTERS (Western Michigan University), Eric Harvey (Western Michigan University), Rachel Burroughs (Western Michigan University), Shelly Hunt (Western Michigan University), Lisa E. Baker (Western Michigan University) |
| Abstract: Atrazine is an herbicide used extensively worldwide to control broadleaf and grassy weeds on crops such as corn, sorghum, and sugarcane. Currently, the adverse effects of this herbicide on human health are not fully understood. Numerous studies utilizing animal models of human exposure have clearly demonstrated atrazine to be an endocrine disrupter, altering hormone functions and having various harmful reproductive effects. There is a paucity of research on the neurobehavioral effects of chronic developmental atrazine exposure. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of environmentally relevant levels of atrazine exposure on rodent learning, memory, and motor coordination. Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were mated and upon detection of the vaginal plug indicating pregnancy, 12 dams were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups. They received daily oral feedings of corn oil or atrazine (100 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg) suspended in corn oil throughout pregnancy and lactation. Within 1 to 2 days of birth, pups were culled to 5 males and 5 females per litter. Upon weaning, the offspring continued daily corn oil or atrazine feedings for an additional five months. Beginning at postnatal day (PND) 30, the offspring were subjected to a series of behavioral assays, including locomotor activity assessments, a walking-beam task, and an operant spatial discrimination/reversal task. Additionally, blood samples were collected on PND 21 and serum was analyzed for testosterone and estrogen. Preliminary results from this ongoing study have revealed increased stereotypy and horizontal activity at 1 month of age in both males and females exposed to 100 mg/kg atrazine compared to controls. Measures of reproductive hormones on PND 21 showed 10 mg/kg atrazine increased serum estradiol and testosterone concentrations in females and increased estradiol concentrations in males. Although the behavioral consequences of these hormonal effects have yet to be determined, these preliminary data provide evidence that developmental exposure to atrazine might pose some risks in mammals. |
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| 13. Social Transmission of Food Preference: Scopolamine Effects |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Basic Research |
| Julio Cesar Venegas-Perez (Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), Jose Eduardo Perez-Reyes (Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), Veronica Viviana Romero-Luna (Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), Gabriela Diaz-Palacios (Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), Maria Guadalupe Ortega-Saavedra (Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), Angela Maria Hermosillo-Garcia (Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), Sara E. Cruz-Morales (Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), J.C. PEDRO ARRIAGA-RAMIREZ (Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) |
| Abstract: Social transmission of food preference is a procedure in which a demonstrator rat influences a naive rat to prefer a novel taste of food. This procedure has been described as an example of declarative memory. Scopolamine has been found to produce an interference with memory consolidation with different procedures. In this work we studied the effect of scopolamine on recall of trials of social transmission of food preference. Fifteen male Long Evans rats were assigned to three groups. In the control group, subjects were given five trials of food demonstration with three different flavors of food; the saline group was treated as the control group except that an ip saline injection was administered after demonstrations; in the scopolamine group an 8 mg/kg ip dose was administered after demonstrations. Results showed that scopolamine reduced the proportion of trials in which food preference was transmitted to observers. An ANOVA test revealed a significant effect of group F (2, 12) = 4.243, p = .040. A post hoc Bonferroni test revealed a reliable difference between the saline group and the scopolamine group, p = .049. This result showed that scopolamine interfered with the recall of trials of social transmission of food preference. |
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| 14. Employment-Based Reinforcement of Opiate and Cocaine Abstinence in Out-of-Treatment Injection Drug Users |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Applied Research |
| AUGUST F. HOLTYN (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine), Mikhail Koffarnus (Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute), Anthony DeFulio (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine), Sigurdur Oli Sigurdsson (Florida Institute of Technology), Eric C. Strain (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine), Robert P. Schwartz (Friends Research Institute), Kenneth Silverman (Johns Hopkins University) |
| Abstract: The present study examined the use of employment-based abstinence reinforcement contingencies in out-of-treatment injection drug users. Participants (n=33) could work in the Therapeutic Workplace, a model employment-based program for drug addiction, for 4 hr every weekday for 30 weeks and could earn about $10 per hr. During a 4-week induction, participants only had to work to earn pay. After induction, access to the workplace was contingent on enrollment in methadone treatment. After participants met the methadone contingency for three weeks, participants had to provide opiate-negative urine samples to maintain maximum pay. After participants met those contingencies for three weeks, participants had to provide opiate- and cocaine-negative urine samples. The percentage of drug-negative urine samples remained stable until the abstinence reinforcement contingency for each drug was applied. The percentage of opiate- and cocaine-negative urine samples increased abruptly and significantly after the opiate and cocaine abstinence contingencies, respectively, were applied. Employment-based abstinence reinforcement can increase opiate and cocaine abstinence among out-of-treatment injection drug users. |
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| 15. Effects of Pramipexole on Repeated Acquisition Performance in Long-Evans Rats |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Basic Research |
| MOLLY BARLOW (University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire), Mark A. Vandon Avond (University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire), Amy R. Johnson (Virginia Commonwealth University), Carlee A. Toddes (University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire), Katelyn J. Olson (University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire), David C. Jewett (University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire) |
| Abstract: Pramipexole is a dopamine agonist used clinically to treat Parkinson's disease and restless leg syndrome. We used a three-step repeated acquisition paradigm to test the effects of pramipexole on error rates in eight Long-Evans rats. During training sessions, subjects were required to emit a specific sequence of responses from a set of three response alternatives. The sequence of correct responses changed daily and error rates measured. Once stable performance on the sequences was established (error rates +/- 10% of the mean), the sequence that produced the lowest error rate (easy) and the sequence that produced the highest error rate (difficult) was determined for each subject and pramipexole tested under these sequences. Pramipexole was administered to the subjects subcutaneously using 2% dimethyl sulfoxide as a vehicle. Under easy sequence conditions, overall error rates for the session were significantly higher than control rates following 0.01 - 0.1 mg/kg pramipexole. In the difficult sequence, the overall error rates for the session were significantly higher than control error rates following 0.1 mg/kg pramipexole. The error rates in the easy sequence were affected at smaller doses than the error rates in the difficult sequence. |
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| 16. Chronic Exposure to Cocaine in Adolescence Alters Performance on Fixed- and Progressive-Ratio Schedules in Mice |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Basic Research |
| STEVEN R BOOMHOWER (Auburn University), Derek Pope (Auburn University), Kathryn Teixeira (Auburn University), M. Christopher Newland (Auburn University) |
| Abstract: Adolescence is characterized by profound changes in the nervous system, increased susceptibility to drugs of abuse, and heightened levels of impulsivity. Further, fixed-ratio (FR) and progressive-ratio (PR) schedules of reinforcement can characterize behavioral alterations that may result from exposure to substances of abuse, such as cocaine. In the current study, 21 C57BL/6 mice were exposed chronically to 30 mg/kg/day cocaine (n=11) or saline vehicle (n=10) for 14 consecutive days during adolescence. Eight months following exposure, responding was placed under seven FR schedules (FR 1-590) and then a PR schedule. Mathematical Principles of Reinforcement was applied to response-rate functions of individual mice from both schedules. According to the FR model, the rate parameter (lambda) was higher for cocaine compared to saline mice. For the PR model, cocaine mice had lower pause proportions (k) and were quicker to make a response (delta) than saline mice. These results support the notion that adolescence is a vulnerable period and that pharmacological insults during this epoch have far-reaching effects. |
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| 17. Identifying Mechanisms Which Underly the Reinforcing Effect of Nicotine Using a Condition Place Preference Assay in Adult Zebrafish |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Basic Research |
| ALISTAIR BROCK (Queen Mary, University of London), Matthew Parker (Queen Mary, University of London), Robert Walton (Barts and the London, University of London), Caroline H. Brennan (Queen Mary University of London) |
| Abstract: Drug addiction is one of the leading preventable causes of adult mortality in the world today, however genetic factors that contribute to these disorders remain poorly understood. Since basic neurophysiological processes are highly conserved between species, zebrafish models present a powerful method for identifying key gene variants affecting complex behaviors. Established behavioural assays of drug seeking, compulsive drug taking and relapse in adults, coupled with the vast genetic toolset available, make zebrafish an ideal model for identifying genes which contribute to addictive disorders. To explore this possibility, populations of fish were screened over three generations in a condition placed preference assay to nicotine. Over three generations of selective breeding, the reinforcing potential of nicotine was shown to be a highly heritable trait (effect size = 1.2). This shows zebrafish may be a useful model in screening for genetic variants that cause subtle changes in complex behaviours. Now mutant lines with distinct behavioral phenotypes have been established, it has been possible to establish molecular mechanisms by which nicotine reinforcement occurs in zebrafish. Ultimately this may help to fully understand how drugs with abuse potential abuse hijack the reward systems. |
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| 18. Modulation of NMDA-antagonist Effects by Degree of Stimulus Control |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Basic Research |
| MELISSA DEAL (University of North Carolina Wilmington), Danielle Panoz-Brown (University of North Carolina Wilmington), Amy McClanahan (University of North Carolina Wilmington), Mark Galizio (University of North Carolina Wilmington) |
| Abstract: Drug effects are often portrayed as straight-forward and easily categorized in terms of pharmacological properties. However, drug effects often depend upon features of the behavior that is being measured including the baseline levels of the behavior. The current study was designed to assess the modulating effects of the degree of stimulus control in an incrementing non-matching-to-sample procedure: the Odor Span Task (OST) and the effects of an NMDA-antagonist, dizocilpine (DZP). Subjects were three male Sprague-Dawley rats trained on the OST until stability criteria were met. Degree of stimulus control was manipulated by varying the number of comparison stimuli present in the testing arena on a given trial. Preliminary results indicate that the degree of stimulus control mediates the effects of DZP. Lower degrees of stimulus control reveal drug impairment at lower doses, while impairment with a higher degree of stimulus control did not occur until higher doses of DZP were administered. |
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| 19. Effects of Rearing Conditions on Persistence for Differential Alcohol Reinforcer Rates. |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Basic Research |
| DIANA CORTÉS- PATIÑO (Universidade de São Paulo), Catalina Serrano (Universidade de São Paulo), Miriam Garcia-Mijares (Universidade de Sao Paulo) |
| Abstract: Social conditions during rearing have shown to affect adult alcohol consumption, however, few experiments had explored the effects of rearing conditions on other behaviors related to alcohol dependence, like persistence of alcohol seeking. This experiment compared the effects of isolation (ISO) and interaction (INT) rearing on persistence for different alcohol reinforcement rates during extinction. Rats were trained to respond for a 10% alcohol solution in an operant chamber; then were exposed to a multiple schedule of reinforcement arranging a higher rate of alcohol delivery in the presence of one stimulus (rich component, variable interval 15s), and a lower rate of delivery in the presence of another stimulus (lean component, variable interval 45s). Then, response was disrupted by extinction for three consecutive days. Both groups showed higher response rates in the rich component during baseline, but ISO rats responded significantly more than INT rats in both components (p < .001). Persistence during extinction sessions in rich and lean components was higher for ISO rats than for INT rats (p < .05). The results confirmed that social isolation increased alcohol consumption and demonstrated that it also affects other aspects of operant behavior maintained by alcohol, as seeking and dependence. |
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| Keyword(s): poster session |