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- Title
Cannabinoid receptor-1 signaling contributions to sign-tracking and conditioned reinforcement in rats.
- Authors
Bacharach, Sam Z.; Nasser, Helen M.; Zlebnik, Natalie E.; Dantrassy, Hannah M.; Kochli, Daniel E.; Gyawali, Utsav; Cheer, Joseph F.; Calu, Donna J.
- Abstract
Rationale: Endocannabinoids (eCBs) are critical gatekeepers of dopaminergic signaling, and disrupting cannabinoid receptor-1 (CB1) signaling alters DA dynamics to attenuate cue-motivated behaviors. Prior studies suggest that dopamine (DA) release plays a critical role in driving sign-tracking.Objectives: Here, we determine whether systemic injections of rimonabant, a CB1 receptor inverse agonist, during Pavlovian lever autoshaping impair the expression of sign-tracking. We next examine whether rimonabant blocks the reinforcing properties of the Pavlovian lever cue in a conditioned reinforcement test.Methods: In Exp. 1, we trained rats in Pavlovian lever autoshaping prior to systemic rimonabant injections (0, 1, 3 mg/kg) during early and late Pavlovian lever autoshaping sessions. In Exp. 2, we trained rats in Pavlovian lever autoshaping prior to systemic rimonabant injections (0, 1 mg/kg) during a conditioned reinforcement test.Results: Rimonabant dose-dependently decreased lever contact and probability, and increased sign-tracker’s latency to approach the lever cue early in Pavlovian training. With extended training, many previously goal-tracking and intermediate rats shifted to lever approach, which remained dose-dependently sensitive to rimonabant. Rimonabant attenuated cue-evoked food cup approach early, but not late, in conditioning, and did not affect pellet retrieval or consumption. The inserted lever cue served as a robust conditioned reinforcer after Pavlovian lever autoshaping, and 1 mg/kg rimonabant blocked conditioned reinforcement.Conclusions: Together, our results suggest that CB1 signaling mediates two critical properties of incentive stimuli; their ability to attract (Exp. 1) and their ability to reinforce (Exp. 2) behavior.
- Subjects
CANNABINOID receptors; RIMONABANT; REINFORCEMENT (Psychology); CLASSICAL conditioning; PROMPTS (Psychology)
- Publication
Psychopharmacology, 2018, Vol 235, Issue 10, p3031
- ISSN
0033-3158
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s00213-018-4993-6