scholarly journals Nicotine Enhances Goal-Tracking in Ethanol and Food Pavlovian Conditioned Approach Paradigms

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hailley Angelyn ◽  
Gregory C. Loney ◽  
Paul J. Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Intake ◽  
Behavioral Interactions ◽  
Sign Tracking ◽  
Stationary Liquid ◽  
Reward Delivery ◽  
Pavlovian Conditioned Approach ◽  
Conditioned Approach ◽  
Goal Tracking ◽  
Long Evans ◽  
Static Nature

RationaleNicotine promotes alcohol intake through pharmacological and behavioral interactions. As an example of the latter, nicotine can facilitate approach toward food- and alcohol-associated stimuli (“sign-tracking”) in lever-Pavlovian conditioned approach (PavCA) paradigms. However, we recently reported that nicotine can also enhance approach toward locations of reward delivery (“goal-tracking”) triggered by ethanol-predictive stimuli when the location of ethanol delivery is non-static (i.e., a retractable sipper bottle).ObjectiveTo determine whether the non-static nature of the reward location could have biased the development of goal-tracking in our previous study (Loney et al., 2019); we assessed the effect of nicotine in a lever-PavCA paradigm wherein the location of ethanol delivery was static (i.e., a stationary liquid receptacle). Then, to determine whether nicotine’s enhancement of goal-tracking is unique to ethanol-predictive stimuli, we assessed the effect of systemic nicotine on approach triggered by food-predictive stimuli in a lever-PavCA paradigm.MethodsLong–Evans rats were used in two PavCA experiments wherein a lever predicted the receipt of ethanol (15% vol/vol; experiment 1) or food (experiment 2) into a stationary receptacle. Prior to testing, rats were administered nicotine (0.4 mg/kg subcutaneously) or saline systemically.ResultsIn both experiments, nicotine increased measures of goal-tracking, but not sign-tracking.ConclusionNicotine can facilitate approach to reward locations without facilitating approach to reward-predictive stimuli. As such, conceptualization of the mechanisms by which nicotine affects behavior must be expanded to explain an enhancement of goal-tracking by nicotine.

scholarly journals Effects of the cannabinoid receptor agonist CP-55,940 on incentive salience attribution

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Gheidi ◽  
Lora M. Cope ◽  
Christopher J. Fitzpatrick ◽  
Benjamin N. Froehlich ◽  
Rachel Atkinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cannabinoid Receptor ◽  
High Dose ◽  
Incentive Salience ◽  
Prelimbic Cortex ◽  
Sign Tracking ◽  
Pavlovian Conditioned Approach ◽  
Conditioned Approach ◽  
Cp 55,940 ◽  
Goal Tracking ◽  
Cannabinoid Agonist

AbstractPavlovian conditioned approach paradigms are used to characterize the nature of motivational behaviors in response to stimuli as either directed toward the cue (i.e., sign-tracking) or the site of reward delivery (i.e., goal-tracking). Recent evidence has shown that activity of the endocannabinoid system increases dopaminergic activity in the mesocorticolimbic system, and other studies have shown that sign-tracking behaviors are dependent on dopamine. Therefore, we hypothesized that administration of a cannabinoid agonist would increase sign-tracking and decrease goal-tracking behaviors. Forty-seven adult male Sprague Dawley rats were given a low, medium, or high dose of the cannabinoid agonist CP-55,940 (N=12 per group) or saline (N=11) before Pavlovian conditioned approach training. A separate group of rats (N=32) were sacrificed after PCA training for measurement of cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) and fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) using in situ hybridization. Contrary to our initial hypothesis, CP-55,940 dose-dependently decreased sign-tracking and increased goal-tracking behavior. CB1 expression was higher in sign-trackers compared to goal-trackers in the prelimbic cortex, but there were no significant differences in CB1 or FAAH expression in the infralimbic cortex, dCA1, dCA3, dorsal dentate gyrus, or amygdala. These results demonstrate that cannabinoid signaling can specifically influence behavioral biases toward sign- or goal-tracking. Pre-existing differences in CB1 expression patterns, particularly in the prelimbic cortex, could contribute to individual differences in the tendency to attribute incentive salience to reward cues.

The effect of nicotine on sign-tracking and goal-tracking in a Pavlovian conditioned approach paradigm in rats

2012 ◽  
Vol 226 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew I. Palmatier ◽  
Kimberley R. Marks ◽  
Scott A. Jones ◽  
Kyle S. Freeman ◽  
Kevin M. Wissman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sign Tracking ◽  
Pavlovian Conditioned Approach ◽  
Conditioned Approach ◽  
Goal Tracking

scholarly journals Variation in the Form of Pavlovian Conditioned Approach Behavior among Outbred Male Sprague-Dawley Rats from Different Vendors and Colonies: Sign-Tracking vs. Goal-Tracking

PLoS ONE ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. e75042 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Fitzpatrick ◽  
Shyam Gopalakrishnan ◽  
Elizabeth S. Cogan ◽  
Lindsay M. Yager ◽  
Paul J. Meyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sprague Dawley ◽  
Approach Behavior ◽  
Sign Tracking ◽  
Sprague Dawley Rats ◽  
Pavlovian Conditioned Approach ◽  
Conditioned Approach ◽  
Goal Tracking

scholarly journals Pairings of lever and food induce Pavlovian conditioned approach of sign-tracking and goal-tracking in C57BL/6 mice

2012 ◽  
Vol 226 (2) ◽  
pp. 571-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur Tomie ◽  
Michelle Lincks ◽  
Steffi D. Nadarajah ◽  
Larissa A. Pohorecky ◽  
Lei Yu
Keyword(s):  
Sign Tracking ◽  
Pavlovian Conditioned Approach ◽  
Conditioned Approach ◽  
Goal Tracking

scholarly journals Risk-Promoting Effects of Reward-Paired Cues in Human Sign- and Goal-Trackers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariya Cherkasova ◽  
Eve Limbrick-Oldfield ◽  
Luke Clark ◽  
Jason J. S. Barton ◽  
A. Jon Stoessl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Incentive Salience ◽  
Healthy Human ◽  
Sign Tracking ◽  
Reward Delivery ◽  
Human Volunteers ◽  
Within Subjects ◽  
Goal Tracking

The incentive sensitization theory of addiction proposes that through repeated associations with addictive rewards, addiction-related stimuli acquire a disproportionately powerful motivational pull on behaviour. Animal research suggests trait-like individual variation in the degree of incentive salience attribution to reward-predictive cues, defined phenotypically as sign-tracking (high) and goal-tracking (low incentive salience attribution). While these phenotypes have been linked to addiction features in rodents, their translational validity has been little studied. Here, we examined whether sign- and goal-tracking in healthy human volunteers modulates the effects of reward-paired cues on cost-benefit decision making. Sign-tracking was measured in a Pavlovian conditioning paradigm as the amount of eye gaze fixation on the reward-predictive cue versus the location of impending reward delivery. In Study 1 (Cherkasova et al, 2018), participants were randomly assigned to perform a two-choice lottery task in which rewards were either accompanied (cued, n=63) or unaccompanied (uncued, n=68) by money images and casino jingles. In Study 2, participants (n=58) performed cued and uncued versions of the task in a within-subjects design. Across both studies, cues promoted riskier choice, and both studies yielded evidence of goal-tracking being associated with greater risk-promoting effects of cues. These findings are at odds with the notion of sign-trackers being preferentially susceptible to the influence of reward cues on behavior and point to the role of mechanisms besides incentive salience in mediating such influences.

scholarly journals Subanesthetic ketamine decreases the incentive-motivational value of reward-related cues

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J Fitzpatrick ◽  
Jonathan D Morrow
Keyword(s):  
Conditioned Reinforcement ◽  
Predictive Value ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Drug Seeking ◽  
Pavlovian Conditioned Approach ◽  
Motivation To Quit ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Conditioned Approach ◽  
Goal Tracking ◽  
Tracking Behavior

The attribution of incentive-motivational value to reward-related cues contributes to cue-induced craving and relapse in addicted patients. Recently, it was demonstrated that subanesthetic ketamine increases motivation to quit and decreases cue-induced craving in cocaine-dependent individuals. Although the underlying mechanism of this effect is currently unknown, one possibility is that subanesthetic ketamine decreases the incentive-motivational value of reward-related cues. In the present study, we used a Pavlovian conditioned approach procedure to identify sign-trackers, rats that attribute incentive-motivational value to reward-related cues, and goal-trackers, rats that assign only predictive value to reward-related cues. This model is of interest because sign-trackers are more vulnerable to cue-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior and will persist in this drug-seeking behavior despite adverse consequences. We tested the effect of subanesthetic ketamine on the expression of Pavlovian conditioned approach behavior and the conditioned reinforcing properties of a reward-related cue in sign- and goal-trackers. We found that subanesthetic ketamine decreased sign-tracking and increased goal-tracking behavior in sign-trackers, though it had no effect on conditioned reinforcement. These results suggest that subanesthetic ketamine may be a promising pharmacotherapy for addiction that acts by decreasing the incentive-motivational value of reward-related cues.

scholarly journals Individual differences in voluntary alcohol intake in rats: relationship with impulsivity, decision making and Pavlovian conditioned approach

2017 ◽  
Vol 234 (14) ◽  
pp. 2177-2196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcia Spoelder ◽  
Jacques P. Flores Dourojeanni ◽  
Kathy C. G. de Git ◽  
Annemarie M. Baars ◽  
Heidi M. B. Lesscher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Alcohol Intake ◽  
Pavlovian Conditioned Approach ◽  
Conditioned Approach

scholarly journals The lateral hypothalamus and orexinergic transmission in the paraventricular thalamus promote the attribution of incentive salience to reward-associated cues

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua L Haight ◽  
Paolo Campus ◽  
Cristina E Maria-Rios ◽  
Allison M Johnson ◽  
Marin S Klumpner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conditioned Response ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
Incentive Salience ◽  
Sprague Dawley ◽  
Conditioned Reward ◽  
Hypothalamic Area ◽  
Sign Tracking ◽  
Pavlovian Conditioned Approach ◽  
Conditioned Approach

AbstractRationalePrior research suggests that inputs from the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) to the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) contribute to the attribution of incentive salience to Pavlovian-conditioned reward cues. However, a causal role for the LHA in this phenomenon has not been demonstrated. In addition, it is unknown which hypothalamic neurotransmitter or peptide system(s) are involved in mediating incentive salience attribution.ObjectivesTo examine: 1) the role of the LHA in the propensity to attribute incentive salience to reward cues, and 2) the role of orexinergic signaling in the PVT on the expression of Pavlovian conditioned approach (PavCA) behavior, a reflection of incentive salience attribution.MethodsMale Sprague-Dawley rats received bilateral excitotoxic lesions of the LHA prior to the acquisition of Pavlovian conditioned approach (PavCA) behavior. A separate cohort of male rats acquired PavCA behavior and were characterized as sign-trackers (STs) or goal-trackers (GTs) based on their conditioned response. The orexin 1 receptor (OX1r) antagonist SB-334867, or the orexin 2 receptor (OX2r) antagonist TCS-OX2-29, were then administered directly into the PVT to assess the effects of these pharmacological agents on the expression of PavCA behavior and on the conditioned reinforcing properties of the Pavlovian reward cue.ResultsLesions of the LHA before training attenuated the development of lever-directed (sign-tracking) behaviors in the PavCA paradigm, without affecting magazine-directed (goal-tracking) behaviors. In STs, administration of the OX1r antagonist into the PVT reduced lever-directed behaviors and increased magazine-directed behaviors; while administration of the OX2r antagonist only reduced lever-directed behaviors. Further, OX2r, but not OX1r, antagonism was able to reduce the incentive motivational value of the conditioned stimulus on a conditioned reinforcement test in STs. The behavior of GTs was unaffected by orexinergic antagonism in the PVT.ConclusionsThe LHA is necessary for the attribution of incentive salience to reward cues and, thereby, the development of a sign-tracking conditioned response. Furthermore, blockade of orexin signaling in the PVT attenuates the incentive value of a Pavlovian reward cue. These data suggest that hypothalamic orexin inputs to the PVT are a key component of the circuitry that encodes the incentive motivational value of reward cues and promotes maladaptive cue-driven behaviors.

Behavioural and Neural Mechanisms of Sign-tracking and Goal-tracking in Animals

2013 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-76
Author(s):  
Fengjin CHANG ◽  
Ruisi CUI ◽  
Xinwang LI
Keyword(s):  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Sign Tracking ◽  
Goal Tracking
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