Sign- vs. goal-tracking in a feature positive discrimination task with nicotine: Importance of spatial location of the conditional stimulus

Authors

Amanda M. Dion, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Carmela M. Reichel, Medical University of South Carolina
Rick A. Bevins, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Date of this Version

2011

Citation

Behav Brain Res. 2011 April 15; 218(2): 341–345.

Comments

© 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Abstract

We assessed whether sign-tracking developed along with goal-tracking in a Pavlovian drug discrimination task. Rats had nicotine sessions intermixed with saline sessions. For nicotine sessions, 15-sec illumination of a light near (Experiment 1) or far (Experiment 2) from the dipper receptacle was followed by sucrose. Saline sessions were similar except sucrose was withheld. Regardless of location, the light evoked goal-tracking only on nicotine sessions. Only rats with the light near the dipper developed sign-tracking.