| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2426910 | Behavioural Processes | 2013 | 7 Pages |
A preclinical model that includes measures of alternative behavior and drug-seeking could improve our understanding of the processes involved in successful recovery; however current preclinical models of relapse do not measure alternative behavior. We assessed the persistence of food-maintained responding and the resumption of ethanol-maintained responding after ethanol-maintained responding was reduced by changing the response requirement for concurrently available food. Ethanol (10%, w/v) was always available following 5 responses (FR5). A 16 kHz tone indicating food delivery followed 150 responses (FR150) resulted in ethanol-predominate responding and substantial amounts of ethanol were earned (0.47 g/kg per 30-min session) and consumed. An 8 kHz tone indicating food delivery followed 5 responses (FR5) for 1, 2, 4, or 16 consecutive sessions reduced ethanol-maintained responding despite unchanged ethanol availability. Ethanol-maintained responding resumed upon subsequent presentation of the 16 kHz tone. However, more responses occurred on the food lever before 5 responses occurred on the ethanol lever as the number of preceding FR5 food sessions increased. These results suggest that alternative reinforcement may reduce control by discriminative stimuli that occasion ethanol-seeking and is consistent with the risk of relapse declining with longer periods of recovery because of the strengthening of alternative behavior.
► We reduce ethanol-seeking by reinforcing alternative behavior in the same context. ► The drug-associated stimulus occasioned ethanol- and food-maintained responding. ► This responding for ethanol decreased with longer periods of alternative reinforcement. ► Once food seeking extinguishes, ethanol-seeking resurges. ► Alternative reinforcement may decrease attention to drug-associated stimuli.
