Sign- vs. goal-tracking in a feature positive discrimination task with nicotine: importance of spatial location of the conditional stimulus

Behav Brain Res. 2011 Apr 15;218(2):341-5. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2010.11.048. Epub 2010 Dec 1.

Abstract

We assessed whether sign-tracking developed along with goal-tracking in a Pavlovian drug discrimination task. Rats had nicotine sessions intermixed with saline sessions. For nicotine sessions, 15-s illumination of a light near (Experiment 1) or far (Experiment 2) from the dipper receptacle was followed by sucrose. Saline sessions were similar to nicotine sessions except sucrose was withheld. Regardless of location, the light evoked goal-tracking only on nicotine sessions. Only rats with the light near the dipper developed sign-tracking.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Analysis of Variance
  • Animals
  • Conditioning, Classical / drug effects
  • Conditioning, Classical / physiology*
  • Discrimination Learning / drug effects
  • Discrimination Learning / physiology*
  • Extinction, Psychological / drug effects
  • Extinction, Psychological / physiology*
  • Male
  • Motivation / drug effects
  • Motivation / physiology
  • Nicotine / pharmacology*
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Substances

  • Nicotine