Mild ethanol intoxication may enhance pavlovian conditioning

✍ Scribed by Linda L. Hernandez; James D. Valentine

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1990
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 880 KB
• Volume: 20
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0272-4391
• DOI: 10.1002/ddr.430200204

✦ Synopsis

Evidence is reviewed showing that low doses of ethanol (-200-400 mgikg), administered prior to training, can facilitate aversive Pavlovian conditioning and delay subsequent extinction of Pavlovian conditioned responses in both rabbits and rats. The effect of ethanol during Pavlovian training occurs during later testing in both intoxicated and sober animals and is stronger for Pavlovian than for comparable instrumental conditioned responses. New data are reported showing that the facilitatory effect of ethanol on Pavlovian conditioned suppression in rats interacts with both the extent of Pavlovian training and the reinforcement schedule used to maintain the operant baseline but also resembles the effect of more extended Pavlovian training in saline-treated animals. Together, these findings suggest that facilitation of Pavlovian conditioning may be a general effect of mild ethanol intoxication. Possible behavioral mechanisms of this effect are discussed.