Autoshaping in adolescence enhances sign-tracking behavior in adulthood: impact on ethanol consumption.
Autoshaping refers to a procedure during which a cue repeatedly paired with a reward elicits a conditioned response directed at either the reward delivery location ("goal-tracking") or the cue itself ("sign- tracking"). Individual differences in expression of sign-tracking behavior may be predictive of voluntary ethanol intake. The present study was designed to explore the development of differences in sign-tracking behavior in adolescent and adult male and female rats in an 8-day autoshaping procedure. Consistency of sign-tracking and goal-tracking across age was examined by retesting adolescents again in adulthood and comparing their adult data with animals tested only as adults to explore pre-exposure effects on adult responding. In order to assess the relationship between sign-tracking and ethanol intake, voluntary ethanol consumption was measured in an 8-day, 2-hr limited access drinking paradigm following the 8-day autoshaping procedure in adulthood. Animals tested as adolescents showed notably less sign-tracking behavior than animals tested as adults, and sign-tracking behavior was not correlated across age. Animals exposed to the autoshaping procedure as adolescents demonstrated greater sign-tracking behavior as adults when compared to control animals tested only in adulthood. When examining the relationship in adulthood between sign-tracking and ethanol intake, an increase in ethanol intake among sign-trackers was found only in animals pre-exposed to autoshaping as adolescents. Whether or not these results reflect an adolescent-specific experience effect is unclear without further work to determine whether comparable pre-exposure effects are seen if the initial autoshaping sessions are delayed into adulthood.
Binghamton University, Department of Psychology, 4400 Vestal Parkway East, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, USA.
Rachel I
RI
Anderson
Linda P
LP
Spear
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D012201:Reward; D012741:Sexual Maturation / Q000502:physiology*
D000431:Ethanol
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