The experiments conducted herein examine: (a) the effect of NAC on the extinction and reinstatement of positively reinforced operant behavior maintained by food and (b) the potential for differential effects of NAC across different schedules of reinforcement within an animal model. Forty-seven C57BL/6J mice were trained in an operant paradigm to respond for access to food on an FR-5 or VR-5 reinforcement schedule. Extinction was then implemented concurrent with injections of NAC or vehicle. Following extinction, cued and reward reinstatement sessions were conducted. Data were collected on lever presses on active and inactive levers and head entries into the dipper throughout all phases. Results revealed an ameliorative effect on response frequency during extinction and reinstatement phases for the NAC group for the FR contingency only. No drug effect was evident for the VR schedule, and when FR and VR groups were compared to each other, no significant differential effect of drug by schedule was noted. The significance of results for the FR contingency parallel those found in the drug relapse/reinstatement literature and may suggest consistency across different types of positive reinforcers. However, these results may be tempered by the lack of significant findings for the VR contingency, which more closely parallels naturally occurring schedules of reinforcement. The ambiguity of these findings combined with the potential for NAC to ameliorate undesirable side effects of extinction warrant continued investigation.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VANDERBILT/oai:VANDERBILTETD:etd-02172011-230712 |
| Date | 21 February 2011 |
| Creators | McDaniel, Jill Lynn |
| Contributors | Mark Wolery, Joseph Wehby, Jeremy Veenstra-Vander Weele, Craig H. Kennedy |
| Publisher | VANDERBILT |
| Source Sets | Vanderbilt University Theses |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.library.vanderbilt.edu/available/etd-02172011-230712/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to Vanderbilt University or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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