Browsing by Subject "Conditioned cues"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Inhibitory and Excitatory Alcohol-Seeking Cues Distinct Roles in Behavior, Neurochemistry, and Mesolimbic Pathway in Alcohol Preferring (P) rats
    (Elsevier, 2023) Hauser, Sheketha R.; Deehan, Gerald A., Jr.; Knight, Christopher P.; Waeiss, R. Aaron; Engleman, Eric A.; Ding, Zheng-Ming; Johnson, Phillip L.; McBride, William J.; Truitt, William A.; Rodd, Zachary A.; Psychiatry, School of Medicine
    Cues associated with alcohol use can readily enhance self-reported cravings for alcohol, which increases the likelihood of reusing alcohol. Understanding the neuronal mechanisms involved in alcohol-seeking behavior is important for developing strategies to treat alcohol use disorder. In all experiments, adult female alcohol-preferring (P) rats were exposed to three conditioned odor cues; CS+ associated with EtOH self-administration, CS- associated with the absence of EtOH (extinction training), and a CS0, a neutral stimulus. The data indicated that presentation of an excitatory conditioned cue (CS+) can enhance EtOH- seeking while the CS- can inhibit EtOH-seeking under multiple test conditions. Presentation of the CS+ activates a subpopulation of dopamine neurons within the interfascicular nucleus of the posterior ventral tegmental area (posterior VTA) and basolateral amygdala (BLA). Pharmacological inactivation of the BLA with GABA agonists inhibits the ability of the CS+ to enhance EtOH-seeking but does not alter context-induced EtOH-seeking or the ability of the CS- to inhibit EtOH-seeking. Presentation of the conditioned odor cues in a non-drug-paired environment indicated that presentation of the CS+ increased dopamine levels in the BLA. In contrast, presentation of the CS- decreased both glutamate and dopamine levels in the BLA. Further analysis revealed that presentation of a CS+ EtOH-associated conditioned cue activates GABA interneurons but not glutamate projection neurons. Overall, the data indicate that excitatory and inhibitory conditioned cues can contrarily alter EtOH-seeking behaviors and that different neurocircuitries are mediating these distinct cues in critical brain regions. Pharmacotherapeutics for craving should inhibit the CS+ and enhance the CS- neurocircuits.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Oral Conditioned Cues Can Enhance or Inhibit Ethanol (EtOH)-Seeking and EtOH-Relapse Drinking by Alcohol-Preferring (P) Rats
    (Wiley, 2016-04) Knight, Christopher P.; Hauser, Sheketha R.; Deehan, Gerald A.; Toalston, Jamie E.; McBride, William J.; Rodd, Zachary A.; Psychiatry, School of Medicine
    BACKGROUND: Conditioned cues can elicit drug-seeking in both humans and rodents. The majority of preclinical research has employed excitatory conditioned cues (stimuli present throughout the availability of a reinforcer), but oral consumption of alcohol is similar to a conditional stimuli (presence of stimuli is paired with the delivery of the reinforcer) approach. The current experiments attempted to determine the effects of conditional stimuli (both excitatory and inhibitory) on the expression of context-induced ethanol (EtOH)-seeking. METHODS: Alcohol-preferring (P) rats self-administered EtOH and water in standard 2-lever operant chambers. A flavor was added to the EtOH solution (CS+) during the EtOH self-administration sessions. After 10 weeks, rats underwent extinction training (7 sessions), followed by a 2-week home cage period. Another flavor was present during extinction (CS-). Rats were exposed to a third flavor in a non-drug-paired environment (CS(0)). EtOH-seeking was assessed in the presence of no cue, CS+, CS-, or CS(0) in the dipper previously associated with EtOH self-administration (no EtOH available). Rats were maintained a week in their home cage before being returned to the operant chambers with access to EtOH (flavored with no cue, CS+, CS-, or CS(0)). RESULTS: The results indicated that the presence of the CS+ enhanced EtOH-seeking, while the presence of the CS- suppressed EtOH-seeking. Similarly, adding the CS- flavor to 15% EtOH reduced responding for EtOH while the CS+ enhanced responding for EtOH during relapse testing. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the data indicate that conditional stimuli are effective at altering both EtOH-seeking behavior and EtOH-relapse drinking.