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Influence of cue‐conditioning on acquisition, maintenance and relapse of cocaine intravenous self‐administration
Author(s) -
DerocheGamonet Véronique,
Piat Frédéric,
Le Moal Michel,
Piazza Pier Vincenzo
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
european journal of neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.346
H-Index - 206
eISSN - 1460-9568
pISSN - 0953-816X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1460-9568.2002.01974.x
Subject(s) - self administration , psychology , conditioning , classical conditioning , reinforcement , associative learning , drug , intravenous drug , neuroscience , pharmacology , social psychology , medicine , psychiatry , statistics , mathematics , virus , virology , viral disease
Conditioning theories propose that, through a Pavlovian associative process, discrete stimuli acquire the ability to elicit neural states involved in the maintenance and relapse of a drug‐taking behaviour. Experimental evidence indicates that drug‐related cues play a role in relapse, however, their influence on the development and maintenance of drug self‐administration has been poorly investigated. In this report, we analysed the effects of a drug‐associated cue light on acquisition, maintenance and reinstatement of intravenous cocaine self‐administration. The results show that a cocaine‐associated cue light can act as an incentive in absence of the drug, but does not directly modify drug‐reinforcing effects. Contingent and non‐contingent presentations of a cocaine‐associated cue light reinstated an extinguished self‐administration behaviour. However, regardless of whether or not a cue light was associated with cocaine infusions, rats acquire cocaine intravenous self‐administration reaching the same levels of intake. Furthermore, after self‐administration has been acquired in presence of the cue light, the omission of the cue light or its non‐contingent presentation did not modify rat behaviour. In conclusion, our work shows that cocaine‐associated explicit cues do not directly interfere with the reinforcing effects of the drug.