Enhancement of pseudoconditioning and retardation of escape by low doses of ethanol.
Independent groups of mature Wistar rats were injected intraperitoneally with 0.9% NaCl solution or 0.5 g/kg, 1 g/kg or 2 g/kg ethanol prepared from a 30% ethanol solution in 0.9% NaCl. Thirty min later each animal was placed in a two compartment shuttlebox and given 25 trials during which footshock was presented every 60 sec and tones of 8 sec duration were randomly programed. Shock-escape latencies and frequencies of intercompartmental (pseudoconditioned) responses to the tone were measured. The results showed that 1 g/kg and 2 g/kg ethanol significantly retarded escape performance but 2 g/kg ethanol significantly enhanced pseudoconditioning. These findings have implications for the design of experiments concerned with the effects of drugs on learning processes, and for theories of the effects of ethanol on behavior.
D000818:Animals; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004924:Escape Reaction / Q000187:drug effects*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects
D000431:Ethanol