Pairings of Ethanol Sipper With Food Induces Pavlovian Autoshaping of Ethanol Drinking in Rats: Evidence of Long-Term Retention and Effects of Sipper Duration

Abstract

These data reveal that these sipper CS-food US autoshaping procedures induce drinking in rats that is durable and negatively related to increasing CS duration. The effects of both variables are consistent with the hypothesis that drinking from the sipper CS is a Pavlovian autoshaping CR. Autoshaping of drinking in the Water group is observed despite the absence of water deprivation, and even more fluid is consumed by the Ethanol group than by the Water group. The high volumes of ethanol consumed during brief daily sessions suggest that Pavlovian autoshaping procedures may provide an animal learning model of binge drinking.

Cue-Induced Ethanol Seeking in Drosophila melanogaster Is Dose-Dependent

“…Repeated exposure to the same cue during intoxication strengthens the memory for that cue, making it a more salient predictor of ethanol reward ( Tomie et al, 2002 ; Krank, 2003 ). Drinking norms observed in social environments often involve binge-consumption of ethanol, in which consecutive drinks are consumed before the effects of the first drink tapers.…”

Sign-tracking (autoshaping) in rats: A comparison of cocaine and food as unconditioned stimuli

“…Indeed, it is informative to note that in studies in which sign-tracking has been produced with saccharin/alcohol or saccharin/amphetamine solutions as the US (Krank, 2003;Tomie, 2001;Tomie, Festa, et al, 2003), the drinking consummatory response of the rat was necessary to ingest the US. Moreover, in an innovative adaptation of the autoshaping procedure, Tomie and associates (Tomie, Di Poce, Derenzo, & Pohorecky, 2002;Tomie, Sparta, et al, 2002;Tomie, Wong, Apor, Patterson-Buckendahl, & Pohorecky, 2003) have found that when a sipper bottle containing alcohol is used as the CS, very high levels of signtracking, as well as alcohol consumption, can be produced when food is the US. This indicates that robust autoshaping of drug intake can occur when natural consummatory responses are directed at the US.…”

Behavioral characteristics and neurobiological substrates shared by Pavlovian sign-tracking and drug abuse

“…Similar procedures have been employed with chlordiazepoxide in the sipper CS to induce sign-tracking of sipper CS-directed chloridazepoxide drinking in rats (Tomie et al, 2004e). Most significantly, there is evidence that the drinking of alcohol from the sipper CS, an action that provides the rat with pairings of sipper CS with alcohol US, induces a pattern of alcohol drinking that is indicative of sign-tracking of sipper CS-directed alcohol drinking in rats (Tomie et al, 2002c(Tomie et al, , 2003c Exps 1 and 2; Tomie et al, 2005aTomie et al, , 2006b Exps 1 and 2; see also Tomie et al, 2006a). Thus, the hypothesis that sign-tracking CR performance develops as a function of repeated pairings of an object CS with drug reward US is well supported.…”

“…Evidence that sign-tracking CR performance is well retained is provided by reports that following its acquisition, the mere passing of time without additional training has little or no effect on the performance of signtracking CRs (Carr and Murtazina, 1994;Meneses et al, 2004;Tomie et al, 2002cTomie et al, , 2004a. For example, sign-tracking CR performance of alcohol drinking in rats is virtually unchanged following a 27-day retention interval (Tomie et al, 2002c) or following a 41-day retention interval (Tomie et al, 2004a).…”

“…Evidence that sign-tracking CR performance is well retained is provided by reports that following its acquisition, the mere passing of time without additional training has little or no effect on the performance of signtracking CRs (Carr and Murtazina, 1994;Meneses et al, 2004;Tomie et al, 2002cTomie et al, , 2004a. For example, sign-tracking CR performance of alcohol drinking in rats is virtually unchanged following a 27-day retention interval (Tomie et al, 2002c) or following a 41-day retention interval (Tomie et al, 2004a). Maintenance of sign-tracking CR performance of sipper CSdirected alcohol drinking over time, without appreciable decay or deterioration in the performance, is similar to relapse in humans and reinstatement of drug-taking in animals (Kruzich et al, 2001;Stewart, 2004; for review of reinstatement as a model of relapse, see Epstein et al, 2006;Fattore et al, 2007).…”