Does pimozide block the reinforcing effect of brain stimulation? Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • The neuroleptic pimozide produces an extinction-like decline in the runway and Skinner box performance of rats rewarded with electrical stimulation of the medial forebrain bundle (MFB) in the lateral and posterior hypothalamus. The required dose is an order of magnitude less than the dose that incapacitates. The extinction-like decline is seen even when the drug treated rats run and receive brain stimulation in a running wheel prior to runway testing. The decline is also task-specific: after extinguishing in the Skinner box, rats readily perform in the runway, but soon show extinction in this task, too. The characteristics of pimozide's effects on rewarded behavior imply that the drug, whatever other effects it may have, does block the reinforcing effect of the brain stimulation reward.

publication date

  • October 1, 1982

Research

keywords

  • Brain
  • Pimozide
  • Reinforcement, Psychology

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 0020442344

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/0091-3057(82)90360-4

PubMed ID

  • 7178186

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 17

issue

  • 4