Donaire R, Cándido C, Papini MR, Torres C. Frustrative nonreward and emotional self-medication:Factors modulating alcohol consumption following reward downshift in rats.
Physiol Behav 2021;
245:113688. [PMID:
34952031 DOI:
10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113688]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 12/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Life experience involving unexpected incentive loss (e.g., loss of job or a significant other) may result in negative emotional reactions (frustration) and promote alcohol drinking. Similarly, animals exposed to a frustrative 32-to-4% sucrose downshift increase their preference for alcohol (2%) vs. water. This result was interpreted as reflecting emotional self-medication-the consumption of substances that reduce negative emotions. We conducted three experiments examining parametric manipulations of the animal model: (1) effects of a severe reward downshift (32-to-4% sucrose) on consumption of various alcohol concentrations (Experiment 1); (2) effects of different magnitudes of reward downshifts on consumption of 32% alcohol (Experiment 2); and (3) effects of partial reinforcement (an intervention that increases resistance to frustration) on 2% alcohol intake induced by a 32-to-4% sucrose downshift (Experiment 3). The results show that (1) a 32-to-4% sucrose downshift leads to an increase in alcohol intake over a wide range of alcohol concentrations; (2) the greater the reward downshift, the higher the relative increase in alcohol consumption; and (3) a treatment that increases resistance to frustration (partial reinforcement) also attenuates alcohol consumption after a sucrose downshift. These data are discussed in relation to the role of frustrative nonreward in alcohol consumption.
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