title: Sign-tracking predicts increased choice of cocaine over food in rats.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the tendency to sign-track to a food cue was predictive of rats' choice of cocaine over food. First, rats were trained on a procedure where insertion of a retractable lever was paired with food. A sub-group of rats - sign-trackers - primarily approached and contacted the lever, while another sub-group - goal-trackers - approached the site of food delivery. Rats were then trained on a choice task where they could choose between an infusion of cocaine (1.0 mg/kg) and a food pellet (45 mg). Sign-trackers chose cocaine over food significantly more often than did goal-trackers. These results support the incentive-salience theory of addiction and add to a growing number of studies which suggest that sign-trackers may model an addiction-prone phenotype.
authors.affiliation: American University, United States. Electronic address: bt5712a@student.american.edu.
authors.forename: Brendan J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Tunstall
authors.affiliation: American University, United States.
authors.forename: David N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Kearns
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D000818:Animals; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000523:psychology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003042:Cocaine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D003214:Conditioning, Classical; D003463:Cues; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D012201:Reward
chemical_list: D003042:Cocaine
keywords: Addiction; Choice; Cocaine self-administration; Goal-tracking; Sign-tracking