Goal- and signal-directed incentive: conditioned approach, seeking, and consumption established with unsweetened alcohol in rats.
BACKGROUND
Many theories of addictive behavior propose that cues signaling drug administration influence the likelihood of drug-taking and drug-seeking behavior.


OBJECTIVE
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.


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.
Krank
Marvin D
MD
Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada. marvin.krank@ubc.ca
O'Neill
Susan
S
Squarey
Kyna
K
Jacob
Jackie
J
D000818:Animals; D016739:Behavior, Addictive; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000187:drug effects*; D003463:Cues; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008027:Light; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D012201:Reward; D012439:Saccharin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012646:Self Administration
D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol; D012439:Saccharin