Methods of deconditioning persisting avoidance: Intracranial stimulation as a counterconditioner

Abstract

Rats were fixed with a chronically indwelling electrode for intracranial stimulation (lCS) of the lateral hypothalamus. Subsequent to verification that rats would barpress for ICS, they were trained in an automated one-way avoidance chamber to avoid footshock by climbing to a ledge. After 50 daily training trials on 3 consecutive days, the foots hock was terminated. One of three treatments was then programmed: (a) response prevention (retracting the ledge, forcing the rat to stay on the previously shocking grid), (b) periodic ICS during response prevention, or (c) ICS outside the chamber without response prevention. Three days later, persisting avoidance behavior in the rat was measured. It was concluded that ICS during response prevention was most effective in reducing persisting avoidance, followed by response prevention alone, and finally ICS outside the chamber.

Methods of deconditioning persisting avoidance: Drugs as adjuncts to response prevention

“…Yet none of these agents, as well as ethanol and morphine, which can also reduce fear and shock-motivated behavior, reduce persisting avoidance when used as adjuncts to RP. This lack of result with drugs is in marked contrast to application of positive intracranial stimulation and to prolonged RP (Baum, 1970a;Becker, Magnuson, & Reid, 1977;Gordon & Baum, 1971;Reid, 1973;Voss et aI., 1974). In the human clinic, drugs have been used successfully as adjuncts to systematic desensitization (Brady, 1966;Friedman, 1966;Kraft, 1967), but the agents used have been short-acting barbiturates.…”

Methods of deconditioning persisting avoidance: Diazepam as an adjunct to response prevention

“…Perhaps, however, the Taub et al (1977) procedure, using a single, relatively brief period of RP under the influence of a drug, provided a peculiar test of a drug's potential to modify persisting avoidance. Becker, Magnuson, and Reid (1977) did show that a counterconditioning treatment was effective as an adjunct to RP using the same basic procedure. It is possible, nevertheless, that with a longer RP period and more RP periods under the influence of drug, it can be shown that drugs are efficient adjuncts to RP.…”