The effect of LSD-25 on light-reinforced behaviour in the rat

✍ Scribed by G. Lowe; D. I. Williams

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1972
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 458 KB
• Volume: 27
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0033-3158
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00422806

✦ Synopsis

Hallucinogenic drugs may produce changes in the neurophysiological response to sensory input, and it is suggested that corresponding behaviourM changes may be monitored by an animal's reaction to response contingent visual stimulation. LSD-25 was shown to depress responding in rats for light onset and offset at dose levels which showed no depression of basic operant (non-reinforced) responding. This effect was observed under different post-injection intervals. In a parallel study using a pharmacological control agent (BOL-148), no such effect was found. Results were interpreted in terms of an arousal theory. Changes in sensory stimulation were less rewarding for animals whose arousal level, it is argued, has been raised by LSD-25 than for animals injected with saline.