Abstinence-dependent transfer of lithium chloride-induced sucrose aversion to a sucrose-paired cue in rats.
BACKGROUND
Responding for a drug- or sucrose-paired cue increases over forced abstinence (incubation of craving). If the incentive value of a cue depends on the incentive value of the primary reward, devaluing the primary reward should reduce cue reactivity.


OBJECTIVE
We investigated whether conditioned taste aversion (CTA) to sucrose would transfer to a sucrose-paired cue after 1 or 30 days of forced abstinence and whether CTA after 1 day of forced abstinence would affect incubation of craving.


METHODS
Rats self-administered 10% sucrose paired with a tone + light cue for 10 days. After 1 (Exp.1) or 30 (Exp.2) days of forced abstinence, rats received two home-cage pairings of sucrose with either LiCl (65 mg/kg, IP) to produce CTA or saline as a control. Two days later, rats responded for the cue alone. The following day, sucrose consumption was assessed in the same operant conditioning chamber. Exp.1 rats were tested again 1 month later to determine if CTA would affect incubation of craving.


RESULTS
Exp.1: CTA after 1 day of forced abstinence did not attenuate cue reactivity when tested immediately after CTA, nor did the treatment affect incubation of craving or incubation of sucrose consumption. Exp.2: CTA after 1 month of forced abstinence resulted in a significant reduction in cue reactivity.


CONCLUSIONS
The incentive values of sucrose and the conditioned representation of sucrose increase over an extended period of forced abstinence. This incubation appears to facilitate the transfer of an aversion to the primary reward to the conditioned cue.
Harkness
John H
JH
Department of Psychology and Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Western Washington University, 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225-9172, USA.
Webb
Sierra
S
Grimm
Jeffrey W
JW
D000818:Animals; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000187:drug effects*; D003463:Cues; D058999:Drug-Seeking Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D005108:Extinction, Psychological; D018021:Lithium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D012646:Self Administration; D013395:Sucrose / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013649:Taste / Q000187:drug effects*; D014163:Transfer, Psychology / Q000187:drug effects*
D013395:Sucrose; D018021:Lithium Chloride