The effects of haloperidol on the partial reinforcement extinction effect (PREE): implications for neuroleptic drug action on reinforcement and nonreinforcement

Abstract

The effects of haloperidol 0.1 mg/kg on the partial reinforcement extinction effect (PREE) paradigm at one trial a day, were examined. Two groups of rats were trained to run in a straight alley. The continuously reinforced (CRF) group received food reward on every trial. The partially reinforced (PRF) group was rewarded on a quasi-random 50% schedule. All animals were then tested in extinction. Haloperidol 0.1 mg/kg was administered in a 2 x 2 design, i.e., drug-no drug in acquisition and drug-no drug in extinction. The PREE, i.e., increased resistance to extinction of partially reinforced as compared to continuously reinforced animals, was obtained in all four drug conditions. The administration of haloperidol in acquisition increased markedly resistance to extinction in CRF animals. The administration of the drug in extinction decreased resistance to extinction in both CRF and PRF animals. The results are explained in terms of two independent actions of haloperidol: the well-known effect of reduction in the effectiveness of reinforcement as well as enhancement of the effectiveness of nonreinforcement.

Research Review: Dopamine transfer deficit: a neurobiological theory of altered reinforcement mechanisms in ADHD

“…In children with ADHD, however, the absence of the anticipatory dopamine signal would mean that behaviour was not being reinforced at the cellular level, predicting more rapid extinction. In animal studies, the facilitation of extinction by dopamine antagonists given during extinction (Feldon et al, 1988) is consistent with this interpretation. At present, there is no human data to test this prediction.…”

“…The absence of this anticipatory release leads to a similar state as that brought about by dopamine antagonists. When dopamine antagonists are applied during extinction there is a reduced PREE (Feldon et al., 1988). Thus, DTD predicts that children with ADHD should show reduced or absent PREE.…”

“…In support of this proposal, PREE is dopamine dependent. In rats, dopamine antagonists given during extinction facilitate extinction and block PREE (Feldon, Katz, & Weiner, 1988).…”

Comparative Psychology of Surprising Nonreward

“…In rats, the PREE is known to be modulated by some drugs, but not by others. For example, chlordiazepoxide (a benzodiazepine anxiolytic) eliminates the PREE [e.g., McNaughton, 1984], whereas haloperidol (predominantly a dopamine antagonist) does not interfere with its development [Feldon et al, 1988;Feldon and Weiner, 1991]. Pigeons trained in a runway situation and receiving daily treatment with these drugs during both acquisition and extinction (similar to rats in the cited experiments), demonstrated a different pattern of results.…”

Neuroleptics produce within‐session response decrements: Facts and theories

“…These proprioceptive response consequences in the drugged state are thought to lead to a cessation of responding through "sensorimotor conditioning processes" [Tombaugh et al, 19821. The papers suggesting that neuroleptics produce an effect similar to that caused by reward omission (in a partial reinforcement extinction effect [PREE] paradigm) appear to share this idea in that reward omission may have some aversive consequences [Feldon et al, 1988;Ettenberg and Camp, 1986a,b]. However, these studies on the PREE did not examine within-session effects because of their one trial per day format.…”