Conditioned reinforcers (CSR) have been implicated in modulating drug- reinforced behaviors. The relationship between conditioned reinforcers and ethanol intake has not been extensively studied. Evidence suggests that ethanol-associated neutral stimuli can acquire reinforcing properties. Ethanol and CSR are both influenced by the mesolimbic dopamine system. It is hypothesized that a CSR generated by pairing a neutral stimulus with oral ethanol self-administration will influence both the initiation and maintenance oa an ethanol bout and the mesolimbic dopamine system will modulate the efficacy of both reinforcers. This hypothesis will be examined using operant techniques to asses (1) the ability of orally self- administered ethanol to establish a CSR, (2) the role of the CSR in the initiation and maintenance of ethanol consumption, and (3) the modulatory role of mesolimbic dopamine in ethanol and CSR reinforcement. Conditioned reinforcement will be assessed by the neutral stimuli's ability to maintain responding during operant extinction. Alterations in response rate ina the presence and absence of the CSR will be used to assess its role in initiation and maintenance of ethanol self-administration. Microinjection of amphetamine into the nucleus accumbens prior to an extinction session will be used to assess the role of mesolimbic dopamine in these processes. Examining the role of CSR in ethanol reinforcement will provide insight into their contribution to the maintenance of excessive ethanol consumption and release.
| Slawecki, C J; Samson, H H; Chappell, A (1999) Presentation of an ethanol-paired stimulus complex alters response patterns during extinction. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 62:127-35 |
| Slawecki, C J; Samson, H H (1998) Exposure to sucrose-quinine solutions does not increase ethanol consumption. Alcohol 16:329-35 |
