Extinction and renewal of cue-elicited reward-seeking.
Reward cues can contribute to overconsumption of food and drugs and can relapse. The failure of exposure therapies to reduce overconsumption and relapse is generally attributed to the context-specificity of extinction. However, no previous study has examined whether cue-elicited reward-seeking (as opposed to cue-reactivity) is sensitive to context renewal. We tested this possibility in 160 healthy volunteers using a Pavlovian-instrumental transfer (PIT) design involving voluntary responding for a high value natural reward (chocolate). One reward cue underwent Pavlovian extinction in the same (Group AAA) or different context (Group ABA) to all other phases. This cue was compared with a second non-extinguished reward cue and an unpaired control cue. There was a significant overall PIT effect with both reward cues eliciting reward-seeking on test relative to the unpaired cue. Pavlovian extinction substantially reduced this effect, with the extinguished reward cue eliciting less reward-seeking than the non-extinguished reward cue. Most interestingly, extinction of cue-elicited reward-seeking was sensitive to renewal, with extinction less effective for reducing PIT when conducted in a different context. These findings have important implications for extinction-based interventions for reducing maladaptive reward-seeking in practice.
University of Sydney, School of Psychology, Sydney, Australia.
Louise
L
Bezzina
University of Sydney, School of Psychology, Sydney, Australia.
Jessica C
JC
Lee
University of New South Wales, School of Psychology, Sydney, Australia.
Peter F
PF
Lovibond
University of Sydney, School of Psychology, Sydney, Australia. Electronic address: ben.colagiuri@sydney.edu.au.
Ben
B
Colagiuri
D003214:Conditioning, Classical; D003216:Conditioning, Operant; D003463:Cues; D005108:Extinction, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012201:Reward; D014163:Transfer, Psychology; D055815:Young Adult
Cue-exposure therapy; Pavlovian-instrumental transfer; Relapse; Renewal; Reward-seeking