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A Tomie

Publications and source records attributed to A Tomie.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

Individual differences in pavlovian autoshaping of lever pressing in rats predict stress-induced corticosterone release and mesolimbic levels of monoamines.

Pavlovian autoshaping CRs are directed and reflexive consummatory responses targeted at objects repeatedly paired with rewarding substances. To evaluate the hypothesis that autoshaping may provide an animal learning model of vulnerability to drug abuse, this study relates individual differences in lever-press autoshaping CR performance in rats to stress-induced corticosterone release and tissue monoamine levels in the mesolimbic dopamine tract. Long-Evans rats (n = 14) were given 20 sessions of Pavlovian autoshaping training wherein the insertion of a retractable lever CS was followed by the response-independent presentation of food US. Large between-subjects differences in lever-press autoshaping CR performance were observed, with group high CR frequency (n = 5) performing many more lever press CRs than group low CR frequency (n = 9). Tail-blood samples were obtained before and after the 20th autoshaping session, then 24 h later the rats were sacrificed and dissection yielded tissue samples of nucleus accumbens (NAC), prefrontal cortex (PFC), caudate putamen (CP), and ventral tegmental area (VTA). Serum levels of postsession corticosterone were elevated in group high CR frequency. HPLC revealed that group high CR frequency had higher tissue levels of dopamine and DOPAC in NAC, lower levels of DOPAC/DA turnover in CP, and lower levels of 5-HIAA and lower 5-HIAA/5-HT turnover in VTA. The neurochemical profile of rats that perform more autoshaping CRs share some features of vulnerability to drug abuse.

Animals↗

Effects of ethanol on Pavlovian autoshaping in rats.

Approach responses, consummatory behaviors, and directed motor responses maintained by food reward resemble autoshaping CRs and are increased by lower doses of ethanol. This study evaluated the effects of presession i.p. injections of ethanol doses (0.00, 0.25, 0.50, 0.70. or 1.00 g/kg) on the acquisition of lever-press autoshaping CR performance in groups of male Long-Evans hooded rats. Paired groups received 15 daily sessions of Pavlovian autoshaping procedures, wherein the insertion of a retractable lever for 5 s (CS) was followed by the response-independent presentation of food (US). Ethanol facilitated lever-press autoshaping CR acquisition, as revealed by dose-related increases in the number of trials on which CRs were performed. The form of the dose-effect curve was inverted U-shaped with maximal responding induced during sessions 1-5 by the 0.70 g/kg ethanol dose. A similar dose-effect curve was observed during sessions 11-15, revealing that the effects of ethanol on autoshaping CR performance were relatively stable. A pseudoconditioning control group injected presession with 0.50 g/kg ethanol received training wherein the food US was presented randomly with respect to the lever CS. Few lever-presses were performed by the Random 0.50 group, indicating that ethanol's effects on autoshaping CR acquisition and maintenance observed in the Paired 0.50 group were not due to its psychomotor activating effects. A non-injection control group performed more autoshaping CRs than did the control group injected presession with saline, indicating that daily presession i.p. injections per se suppress autoshaping CR performance. Results reveal that low doses of ethanol enhance Pavlovian conditioning of directed motor and consummatory-like responding maintained by food reward. Implications for autoshaping accounts of impulsivity and drug abuse are considered.

Animals↗

Ethanol induces impulsive-like responding in a delay-of-reward operant choice procedure: impulsivity predicts autoshaping.

Autoshaping conditioned responses (CRs) are reflexive and targeted motor responses expressed as a result of experience with reward. To evaluate the hypothesis that autoshaping may be a form of impulsive responding, within-subjects correlations between performance on autoshaping and impulsivity tasks were assessed in 15 Long-Evans hooded rats. Autoshaping procedures [insertion of retractable lever conditioned stimulus (CS) followed by the response-independent delivery of food (US)] were followed by testing for impulsive-like responding in a two-choice lever-press operant delay-of-reward procedure (immediate small food reward versus delayed large food reward). Delay-of-reward functions revealed two distinct subject populations. Subjects in the Sensitive group (n=7) were more impulsive-like, increasing immediate reward choices at longer delays for large reward, while those in the Insensitive group (n=8) responded predominantly on only one lever. During the prior autoshaping phase, the Sensitive group had performed more autoshaping CRs, and correlations revealed that impulsive subjects acquired the autoshaping CR in fewer trials. In the Sensitive group, acute injections of ethanol (0, 0.25, 0.50, 1.00, 1.50 g/kg) given immediately before delay-of-reward sessions yielded an inverted U-shaped dose-response curve with increased impulsivity induced by the 0.25, 0.50, and 1.00 g/kg doses of ethanol, while choice strategy of the Insensitive group was not influenced by ethanol dose. Ethanol induced impulsive-like responding only in rats that were flexible in their response strategy (Sensitive group), and this group also performed more autoshaping CRs. Data support the hypothesis that autoshaping and impulsivity are linked.

Animals↗

Presession noise increases sensitivity to chlordiazepoxide's discriminative stimulus in pigeons.

1. Pigeons were trained to discriminate chlordiazepoxide (CDP) from saline using two-key food reinforced drug discrimination procedures. Discriminative control by CDP was maintained despite extended training with vehicle-like doses of CDP, by using a modified "fading" procedure that provided for a mixture of drug discrimination training sessions preceded by an i.m. injection of either 8.0 mg/kg CDP, or a lower training dose of CDP (4.0, 2.8, 2.0, 1.4, 1.0, 0.7, or 0.5 mg/kg CDP), or saline. The lower training dose was decreased across blocks of sessions. 2. Four lower training doses (1.4, 1.0, 0.7, and 0.5 mg/kg CDP) were retrained, with 10 min of 98 dB of noise administered 75 min prior to each drug discrimination training session. Presession exposure to noise increased percent CDP-appropriate choices for each of the four lower training doses by 15-20% over those obtained previously. 3. It is concluded that brief presession exposure to loud noise increases sensitivity to the discriminative stimulus effects of low training doses of CDP.

Animals↗

Female rats that rapidly acquire a d-amphetamine discrimination generalize more to d-amphetamine.

Female Long-Evans rats were trained to discriminate d-amphetamine (0.8 mg/kg) vs. saline in a food-reinforced two-lever operant task. Fifteen rats (fast group) acquired the discrimination rapidly, achieving criterion (eight correct choices within ten sessions) during the first 10 sessions (mean sessions to criterion = 10.0). The remaining eight rats (slow group) made at least three errors during the first 10 sessions and required additional drug discrimination training to achieve criterion (mean sessions to criterion = 15.9). When a rat had completed a minimum of 30 two-lever discrimination training sessions and, in addition, provided 10 correct choices within 10 sessions, generalization testing with lower doses of d-amphetamine was initiated. The fast group made more d-amphetamine-appropriate choices during the generalization test and generalized more to the 0.2 mg/kg d-amphetamine test dose than did the slow group, though the number of training sessions prior to generalization testing was comparable across groups. Results suggest that when the training drug is easily discriminated, fast learners generalize more, even when groups receive comparable amounts of training prior to generalization testing, and this effect is observed in female rats.

Amphetamine↗

Locating reward cue at response manipulandum (CAM) induces symptoms of drug abuse.

Appetitive instrumental discrimination learning procedures provide for CAM (cue and manipulandum) when the reward cue (discriminative stimulus positively correlated with positive reinforcement) is located at the response manipulandum (object that when contacted or manipulated defines the performance of the instrumental response). Evidence reviewed shows that CAM induces excessive and compulsive instrumental responding relative to otherwise comparable non-CAM control procedures. In humans, symptoms of drug abuse are particularly likely when the drug-taking implement (response manipulandum at which instrumental drug-taking is directed) is also predictive of the drug's rewarding effects (reward cue). Evidence that the predictive relationship between a drug-taking implement and drug reward relates to drug abuse is reviewed, and implications for treatment and prevention are considered. CAM is related to neurobiological models of drug abuse that emphasize the role of the neurotransmitter dopamine (DA). CAM produces convergence of DA-mediated responding for conditioned reinforcement with DA mediation of psychomotor activation and incentive-motivational processes to yield reflexive cue-directed responding not observed in non-CAM controls.

Animals↗

Drug discrimination training with low doses: maintenance of discriminative control.

Procedures are reported that maintain control by the drug cue during and after drug discrimination training with lower doses that yield predominantly vehicle-appropriate choices. Twelve pigeons were trained to discriminate chlordiazepoxide (CDP) from saline using two-key (drug vs. vehicle) drug discrimination procedures. Intermixed within each block of 30 sessions were nine sessions of training with 8.0 mg/kg CDP, nine with one of seven lower training doses (4.0, 2.8, 2.0, 1.4, 1.0, 0.7, or 0.5 mg/kg CDP), and 12 with saline. The lower training dose was decreased across blocks. The three lowest training doses (1.0, 0.7, and 0.5 mg/kg CDP) yielded predominantly saline-appropriate choices but had no effect on discrimination of 8.0 mg/kg CDP or saline. Three doses (2.0, 1.4, and 1.0 mg/kg CDP) were retrained, and each yielded percentages of drug-appropriate choices nearly identical to those obtained during previous training. This drug discrimination procedure maintains control by the drug cue during and after training with vehicle-like doses of the training drug and may allow for repeated assessment of effects of low training doses.

Animals↗

Effects of single or multiple choice trials per session on drug discrimination performance.

Drug discrimination procedures typically provide for multiple choice opportunities per training session. This practice allows non-drug cues (presence or absence of reinforcement) to mediate choice behavior during that portion of the session following the initial choice. In this experiment, rats were trained to discriminate 1.0 mg/kg cyclazocine from saline using a novel procedure that employed a single-choice trial per training session. Drug discrimination acquisition and generalization were compared to those of rats given discrimination training with 30 choice trials per session. The one-trial procedure yielded stable and reliable acquisition but more slowly than did the multiple trials procedure. The one-trial procedure produced longer first trial choice latencies and enhanced the tendency for subjects to respond on both choice levers during the first trial. The cyclazocine generalization functions were comparable, but the one-trial subjects more often responded on both choice levers, particularly when administered intermediate test doses of cyclazocine. Control of choice behavior by the reinforcer cue was evaluated on a mid-session cue reversal test. Multiple-trial subjects persisted in responding on the saline level following a mid-session injection of cyclazocine, whereas one-trial subjects shifted to the cyclazocine-appropriate lever.

Animals↗

Drug discrimination training with a single choice trial per session.

All drug discrimination procedures share in common the practice of providing for multiple choice opportunities per training session. This practice allows nondrug cues (presence or absence of reinforcement) to mediate choice behavior during that portion of the session following the initial choice. Investigators who have acknowledged this problem typically use only first-trial choice performance to evaluate discriminative control by the drug cue, and consider additional choice training following the delivery or nondelivery of the first reinforcer to be facilitatory in establishing drug-mediated discriminative control. In this experiment, rats were trained to discriminate 4.0 mg/kg morphine from saline in a novel procedure that employed a single choice trial per training session. Choice performance was characterized during discrimination acquisition and in subsequent stimulus generalization testing. The results indicated that when all reinforcers are made contingent on correct performance during a single choice trial, rapid and stable control of drug-mediated choice behavior, is observed. In addition, the results demonstrated that additional choice training following the delivery or nondelivery of the first reinforcer is not a necessary antecedent toward establishing drug-mediated discriminative control.

Animals↗

Symmetry and transitivity of conditional relations in monkeys (Cebus apella) and pigeons (Columba livia).

In Experiment 1 six monkeys were tested with discriminative relations that were backward relative to their training in a 0-second conditional ("symbolic") matching procedure. Although there was some indication of backward associations, the evidence was generally weak, and statistical evaluations did not reach conventional significance levels. Unlike children, who show backward associations to the point of symmetry, monkeys and pigeons display at best only weak and transient backward associations. In Experiment 2 associative transitivity was assessed across two sets of conditional matching tasks. All four monkeys tested demonstrated strong transitivity. In contrast, in Experiment 3 there was no evidence of transitivity in three pigeons tested under conditions closely comparable to those of Experiment 2. These results may identify some key features of interspecies differences and contribute to analyses of serial learning in animals.

Journal Article↗

Effects of phencyclidine, haloperidol, and naloxone on fixed-interval performance in rats.

Phencyclidine (PCP), haloperidol, and naloxone were administered alone and in combination to rats responding under a fixed-interval schedule for water presentation. Lower doses of PCP (0.25-2.0 mg/kg) and naloxone (0.001-0.1 mg/kg) produced increases while higher doses produced dose-dependent decreases in response rate. Haloperidol (0.0625-0.5 mg/kg) produced a monotonic dose-dependent decrease in responding. When a dose of naloxone (8.0 mg/kg) that did not alter responding was administered prior to the PCP, the PCP dose-response curve was shifted to 6.5-fold lower doses of PCP. When a dose of haloperidol (0.0625 mg/kg) that did not alter responding was administered prior to the PCP, the PCP dose-response curve was shifted to 1.5-fold higher dose of PCP. These observations are discussed in relation to current views of the mechanism of PCP action.

Animals↗

Interactions of naloxone and haloperidol with phencyclidine: effects on milk intake.

Phencyclidine (PCP), naloxone and haloperidol were administered alone and in combination to rats trained to drink sweetened-condensed milk during a 20 min daily session. PCP (1.0-16.0 mg/kg) produced a dose-dependent decrease in milk intake. All doses of naloxone (0.1-16.0 mg/kg) produced approximately a 30% decrease in milk intake. Haloperidol (0.125 mg/kg) had virtually no effect on milk intake. When a dose of naloxone which reduced milk intake by approximately 30% (8.0 mg/kg) was administered as a pretreatment to the PCP, the PCP curve was shifted to the left (lowered) to that degree. When haloperidol (0.125 mg/kg) was administered as a pretreatment to the PCP, the PCP dose-response curve was shifted 1.5 fold to the right. These interactions are similar to those observed in other behavioral paradigms and are discussed in reference to PCP's actions as an indirect dopaminergic agonist.

Animals↗

Effects of SKF-10047 in the phencyclidine-dependent rat: evidence for common receptor mechanisms.

The repeated administration of phencyclidine (PCP, 72 mg/kg/day) to rats led to physical dependence, as evidenced by a withdrawal syndrome exhibited approx. 24-48 h following suspension of drug. All components of the withdrawal syndrome were suppressed by s.c. injections of PCP (16 mg/kg), (+/-)-N-allylnormetazocine (SKF-10047, 16 mg/kg) and (+)-SKF-10047 (16 mg/kg), but not by injections of saline or (-)-SKF-10047. Moreover, tolerance to the behavioral effects of PCP, as well as cross-tolerance to (+/-)-SKF-10047 and (+)-SKF-10047 were observed. These data indicate that PCP and the sigma opiate SKF-10047 share mechanisms of action, which are mediated by the (+)-isomer of the sigma agonist.

Animals↗

Effects of stimulus similarity in discrimination training upon wavelength generalization in pigeons.

Thirty pigeons were given variable interval training to peck a 555-nm. light and then were tested for wavelength generalization. The subjects were later assigned to 1 of 3 groups, matched for both relative generalization slope and response rate. One group then received successive discrimination training between the 555-nm. stimulus (S+) and a vertical white line on a 555-nm. background (S minus); another group experienced the same S+ but a vertical white line on a black background as S minus. A third group received a comparable amount of single stimulus training with the 555-nm. value. On a second wavelength generalization test, the first group yielded greater sharpening of generalization than the second group, whereas the third group showed no change from Test 1. These results indicate that the sharpening of generalization gradients by discrimination training is directly related to the similarity of the discrimination training stimuli.

Animals↗