Inelastic demand for alcohol in rats

Heyman, Gene M.; Gendel, Keith; Goodman, Jason

doi:10.1007/s002130050996

Cited by 25 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…In contrast, in the present study, increasing the response requirement during the seeking component did not alter drinking behavior once access to alcohol was obtained, with intake remaining relatively constant. Studies using a variety of procedures and a variety of species [rats: (Heyman, 1997;Heyman et al, 1999;Petry and Heyman, 1995;Williams and Woods, 2000), rhesus monkeys: (Carroll et al, 2000), humans: (Goudie et al, 2007;Sumnall et al, 2004)] have also demonstrated that alcohol intake is resistant to change, in that subjects will defend their alcohol intake despite large increases in response cost. That is, in economic terms, alcohol can be considered an ''inelastic'' commodity (Heyman, 2000).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Dissociation of Alcohol‐Seeking and Consumption Under a Chained Schedule of Oral Alcohol Reinforcement in Baboons

Kaminski

Goodwin

Wand

et al. 2008

Alcoholism Clin & Exp Res

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Dissociation of Alcohol‐Seeking and Consumption Under a Chained Schedule of Oral Alcohol Reinforcement in Baboons

Kaminski

Goodwin

Wand

et al. 2008

Alcoholism Clin & Exp Res

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“…As with the consumption of nondrug reinforcers, the consumption of drugs (eg ethanol, phencyclidine, cocaine, heroin) decreases in the face of increasing prices in both rats (eg Comer et al, 1996;Solinas et al, 2004;Heyman et al, 1999) and monkeys (Carroll et al, 1991;Carroll, 1996, 1997;Ko et al, 2002) (for a general review, Bickel et al, 1995). In the majority of studies, the demand for drug is initially inelastic to changes in price and then becomes elastic above a certain price, called P max (Hursh, 1991;Bickel et al, 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Supply of a Nondrug Substitute Reduces Escalated Heroin Consumption

Lenoir

Ahmed

2007

Neuropsychopharmacol

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Escalation of drug consumptionFa hallmark of addictionFhas been hypothesized to be associated with a relative devaluation of alternative nondrug rewards and thus with a decrease in their ability to compete with or to substitute for the drug. In a behavioral economic framework, decreased substitutability of nondrug rewards for drug would explain why drug consumption is behaviorally dominant and relatively resistant to change (eg price-inelastic) in drug-addicted individuals. The goal of the present study was to test this hypothesis using a validated rat model of heroin intake escalation. Escalation was precipitated by long (6 h, long access (LgA)), but not short (1 h, short access (ShA)), daily access to i.v. heroin self-administration. After escalation, the effects of price (ie fixed-ratio value) on heroin consumption were assessed under two alternative reward conditions: in the presence or absence of a nondrug substitute for heroin (ie four freely available chow pellets). As expected, escalated heroin consumption by LgA rats was less sensitive to price than heroin consumption by ShA rats, showing that heroin had acquired greater reinforcing strength during escalation. However, supplying a substitute during access to heroin was sufficient to reverse this post-escalation increase in the reinforcing effectiveness of heroin. Thus, escalated heroin consumption is not associated with a decreased sensitivity to competing nondrug rewards. Escalated drug use may therefore persist, not so much because of a relative devaluation of nondrug substitutes, but because of a loss or reduction of their availability.

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“…The average intakes in the current experiments were close to 1 g/kg in an out-bred strain of rats that had free access to food and water in the home cage. Although one may argue that the rats consumed the solution due to the enhanced palatability rather than ethanol’s pharmacological effects, studies using a behavioral economics approach show otherwise (Heyman, 1997; Heyman et al, 1999). In experiments in which rats had a choice between an alcohol/saccharin solution and a sweet solution of equal calories, the rats allocated their responses toward the alcohol solution as response requirements increased even if the alcohol solution was the non-preferred solution under baseline conditions (for review, see Heyman, 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of naltrexone during extinction of alcohol-reinforced responding and during repeated cue-conditioned reinstatement sessions in a cue exposure style treatment

Williams

Schimmel

2008

Alcohol

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The ability of alcohol-related cues to promote craving can be attenuated independently by giving the opioid antagonist naltrexone (NTX) or by subjecting alcohol-dependent patients to a cue exposure treatment. The effects of cue exposure treatment may be enhanced if conducted in the presence of NTX. The purpose of these experiments was to determine if NTX given during extinction of responding for alcohol in rats would alter cue-conditioned reinstatement of responding and to determine if NTX, paired with repeated cue-conditioned reinstatement, would reduce subsequent cue-conditioned reinstatement or reacquisition of self-administration in the absence of NTX. Rats lever-pressed for alcohol in the presence of an olfactory cue. Visual and auditory stimuli were presented during alcohol delivery. In the first experiment, rats were injected with saline or 3 mg/kg NTX prior to extinction sessions followed by cue-conditioned reinstatement tests. In the second experiment, extinction was followed by cue-conditioned reinstatement sessions presented twice per week. The rats received saline or NTX (3 and 10 mg/kg) prior to several sessions. All rats received reinstatement tests with and without a pretreatment of NTX followed by reacquisition of alcohol selfadministration. NTX had no effect on responding during extinction or on subsequent cue-conditioned reinstatement. Only 10 mg/kg NTX reduced responding during the twice weekly reinstatement sessions. The twice weekly NTX treatment had no effect on subsequent cue-conditioned reinstatement in the absence of NTX. Reacquisition of responding for alcohol was reduced in the group receiving saline during repeated reinstatement sessions while this effect was blocked in the NTX group. These findings support the notion that NTX given during a brief abstinence period (i.e., extinction) has minimal effects on future sensitivity to alcohol cues and alcohol consumption. NTX given during repeated alcohol cue exposure does not alter the subsequent incentive value of alcohol cues in the absence of naltrexone or enhance the beneficial effects of cue exposure treatment.

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Inelastic demand for alcohol in rats

Abstract: Rats defended baseline alcohol consumption but not baseline food consumption. As alcohol and food consumption can be dissociated in humans, research on the mechanisms that mediate alcohol regulated preference in rats may shed light on the mechanisms that control human alcohol consumption.

Cited by 25 publications

References 5 publications

Dissociation of Alcohol‐Seeking and Consumption Under a Chained Schedule of Oral Alcohol Reinforcement in Baboons

Dissociation of Alcohol‐Seeking and Consumption Under a Chained Schedule of Oral Alcohol Reinforcement in Baboons

Supply of a Nondrug Substitute Reduces Escalated Heroin Consumption

Effect of naltrexone during extinction of alcohol-reinforced responding and during repeated cue-conditioned reinstatement sessions in a cue exposure style treatment

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