Subanesthetic ketamine decreases the incentive-motivational value of reward-related cues.
J Psychopharmacol
; 31(1): 67-74, 2017 01.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-27649773
ABSTRACT
The attribution of incentive-motivational value to reward-related cues contributes to cue-induced craving and relapse in addicted patients. Recently, it was demonstrated that subanesthetic ketamine increases motivation to quit and decreases cue-induced craving in cocaine-dependent individuals. Although the underlying mechanism of this effect is currently unknown, one possibility is that subanesthetic ketamine decreases the incentive-motivational value of reward-related cues. In the present study, we used a Pavlovian conditioned approach procedure to identify sign-trackers, rats that attribute incentive-motivational value to reward-related cues, and goal-trackers, rats that assign only predictive value to reward-related cues. This model is of interest because sign-trackers are more vulnerable to cue-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior and will persist in this drug-seeking behavior despite adverse consequences. We tested the effect of subanesthetic ketamine on the expression of Pavlovian conditioned approach behavior and the conditioned reinforcing properties of a reward-related cue in sign- and goal-trackers. We found that subanesthetic ketamine decreased sign-tracking and increased goal-tracking behavior in sign-trackers, though it had no effect on conditioned reinforcement. These results suggest that subanesthetic ketamine may be a promising pharmacotherapy for addiction that acts by decreasing the incentive-motivational value of reward-related cues.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Behavior, Addictive
/
Drug-Seeking Behavior
/
Ketamine
/
Motivation
Type of study:
Prognostic_studies
Limits:
Animals
Language:
En
Journal:
J Psychopharmacol
Journal subject:
PSICOFARMACOLOGIA
Year:
2017
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States