Adrenalectomy eliminates the extinction spike in autoshaping with rats.
Experiment 1, using rats, investigated the effect of adrenalectomy (ADX) on the invigoration of lever-contact performance that occurs in the autoshaping situation after a shift from acquisition to extinction (called the extinction spike). Groups of rats with ADX or sham operations were trained under spaced and massed conditions [average intertrial intervals (ITI) of either 15 or 90 s] for 10 sessions and then shifted to extinction. ADX did not affect acquisition training but it eliminated the extinction spike. Plasma corticosterone levels during acquisition were shown in Experiment 2 to be similar in rats trained under spaced or massed conditions. Adrenal participation in the emotional arousal induced by conditions of surprising nonreward (e.g., extinction) is discussed.
Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
B L
BL
Thomas
M R
MR
Papini
D000315:Adrenalectomy; D000818:Animals; D001066:Appetite / Q000502:physiology; D001143:Arousal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000502:physiology*; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000494:pharmacology; D004326:Drinking / Q000502:physiology; D005108:Extinction, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D003345:Corticosterone