A Characterization of Approach and Avoidance Learning in High–Alcohol‐Drinking (HAD) and Low–Alcohol‐Drinking (LAD) Rats

Blankenship, Matthew R.; Finn, Peter R.; Steinmetz, Joseph E.

doi:10.1111/j.1530-0277.2000.tb01981.x

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…While the HAD2s’ behavior was also associated with high levels of free access alcohol drinking, they were characterized by passive avoidance and an increased latency to explore a novel environment. Salimov () ultimately characterized the P rats as having “alcohol drive with novelty seeking and persistence,” while the HAD rats have “alcohol drive with timidity and meekness.” Similarly, HAD2s, but not P rats, have been seen to possess an avoidance (but not appetitive) learning deficit that may be due to increased anxiety (Blankenship et al., , ). This view is supported by findings that the HAD2s avoidance learning deficit is decreased with moderate levels of alcohol, presumably via its anxiolytic effects (Rorick et al., ), and the HAD2s have increased heart rate reactivity in a Pavlovian fear conditioning paradigm (Rorick et al., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alcohol-Preferring P Rats Exhibit Elevated Motor Impulsivity Concomitant with Operant Responding and Self-Administration of Alcohol

Beckwith

Czachowski

2016

Alcohol Clin Exp Res

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Background Increased levels of impulsivity are associated with increased illicit drug use and alcoholism. Previous research in our lab has shown that increased levels of delay discounting (a decision-making form of impulsivity) are related to appetitive processes governing alcohol self-administration as opposed to purely consummatory processes. Specifically, the high seeking/high drinking alcohol preferring P rats showed increased delay discounting compared to nonselected Long Evans rats (LE) whereas the high drinking/moderate seeking HAD2 rats did not (Beckwith & Czachowski, 2014). The P rats also displayed a perseverative pattern of behavior such that during operant alcohol self-administration they exhibited greater resistance to extinction. Methods One explanation for the previous findings is that P rats have a deficit in response inhibition. The current study followed up on this possibility by utilizing a countermanding paradigm [stop signal reaction time (SSRT) task] followed by operant self-administration of alcohol across increasing fixed ratio requirements (FR; 1, 2, 5, 10 & 15 responses). In separate animals, 24hr access 2-bottle choice (10% EtOH vs. water) drinking was assessed. Results In the SSRT task, P rats exhibited an increased SSRT compared to both LE and HAD2 rats indicating a decrease in behavioral inhibition in the P rats. Also, P rats showed increased operant self-administration across all FRs and the greatest increase in responding with increasing FR requirements. Conversely, the HAD2 and LE had shorter SSRT, and lower levels of operant alcohol self-administration. However, for 2 bottle choice drinking HAD2s and P rats consumed more EtOH as well as had a greater preference for EtOH compared to LE. Conclusions These data extend previous findings showing the P rats to have increased delay discounting (decision-making impulsivity) and suggest that P rats also have a lack of behavioral inhibition (motor impulsivity). This supports the notion that P rats are a highly impulsive as well as “high seeking” model of alcoholism, and that the HAD2s elevated levels of alcohol consumption are not mediated via appetitive processes or impulsivity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alcohol-Preferring P Rats Exhibit Elevated Motor Impulsivity Concomitant with Operant Responding and Self-Administration of Alcohol

Beckwith

Czachowski

2016

Alcohol Clin Exp Res

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“…Alcohol-preferring (P) rats consume large amounts of ethanol compared to alcohol-non-preferring (NP) rats (Li, Lumeng, & Doolittle, 1993;Pandey, Zhang, Roy, & Xu, 2005). High-alcohol drinking (HAD) and low-alcohol drinking (LAD) rats that were generated from the N/Nih heterogeneous stock of rats, which were developed by crossing eight inbred strains , display a higher alcohol preference and higher anxiety-like behaviors than LAD rats (Blankenship, Finn, & Steinmetz, 2000;Murphy et al, 2002). iii.…”

Section: Studies In Rats Indicate Thatmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anxiety and Alcohol Use Disorders

Pandey

2014

Neurobiology of Alcohol Dependence

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Heart rate reactivity in HAD and LAD rats during Pavlovian fear conditioning

Rorick

Finn

Steinmetz

2004

Integrative Physiological & Behavioral Science

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Recently, we reported that High-Alcohol-Drinking (HAD) rats exhibited selective deficits in active avoidance learning under alcohol-naive conditions, and that administration of moderate doses of alcohol (0.5 and 1.0 g/kg) facilitated learning in these rats (Blankenship et al., 2000; Rorick et al., 2003b). We hypothesized that the deficits resulted from excessive fear in the aversive learning context and that the anxiolytic properties of alcohol may have contributed to the improved learning that was observed after alcohol administration. This hypothesis was supported by a recent study in which prolonged freezing in HAD rats was seen after a classical fear conditioning procedure (Rorick et al., 2003a). To provide additional evidence that HAD rats indeed exhibit behaviors consistent with the expression of increased fear in aversive learning contexts, we employed a Pavlovian fear conditioning task to measure heart rate in HAD and Low-Alcohol-Drinking (LAD) rats. In this study, HAD (HAD-1 and HAD-2) and LAD (LAD-1 and LAD-2) rats were assigned to one of three pre-exposure conditions: Context Only, Context/Tone, or Sequential (Context Only followed by Context/Tone) Pre-Exposure. Following pre-exposure, fear conditioning acquisition and extinction procedures were identical for all groups. Results indicated that although no baseline differences were observed between HAD and LAD rats, HAD rats receiving Context-Only pre-exposure exhibited excessive heart rate reactivity to the tone conditional stimulus during fear conditioning acquisition, compared to LAD rats receiving the same pre-exposure conditions. These findings support the hypothesis that HAD rats exhibit behaviors consistent with increased fear in aversive learning contexts, as measured by autonomic conditioning.

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A Characterization of Approach and Avoidance Learning in High–Alcohol‐Drinking (HAD) and Low–Alcohol‐Drinking (LAD) Rats

Cited by 5 publications

References 25 publications

Alcohol-Preferring P Rats Exhibit Elevated Motor Impulsivity Concomitant with Operant Responding and Self-Administration of Alcohol

Alcohol-Preferring P Rats Exhibit Elevated Motor Impulsivity Concomitant with Operant Responding and Self-Administration of Alcohol

Anxiety and Alcohol Use Disorders

Heart rate reactivity in HAD and LAD rats during Pavlovian fear conditioning

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