Context-Induced Relapse of Conditioned Behavioral Responding to Ethanol Cues in RatsBiological Psychiatry Volume 64, Issue 3, 1 August 2008, Pages 203-210
The environmental context in which drug-conditioned cues are encountered could modulate the capacity of such cues to trigger relapse in abstinent addicts. We explored this hypothesis using a behavioral animal model.
At test, port entries during the CS+ increased compared with extinction levels, while responding during the CS− remained unchanged (n = 11). This effect was attenuated after multiple extinction sessions in three distinct contexts (n = 18), compared with an equivalent number of extinction sessions in a single unique context (n = 16). Context-dependent renewal of port entries was also observed to a CS+ paired with 14% sucrose (n = 7) but not to a CS+ paired with 2% sucrose (n = 8).
Environmental contexts can trigger the relapse of behavioral responding to ethanol- and sucrose-predictive cues in rats. For ethanol, this effect can be reduced by extinguishing responses to the ethanol cue in multiple distinct contexts, a manipulation that could increase the efficacy of cue-reactivity treatments for addiction.
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