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Updated: Apr 30, 2026
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A Protocol for Measuring Cue Reactivity in a Rat Model of Cocaine Use Disorder
Published on: June 18, 2018
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Once is too much: conditioned aversion develops immediately and predicts future cocaine self-administration behavior
Elizabeth M Colechio1, Caesar G Imperio1, Patricia S Grigson1
1Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine.
Behavioral Neuroscience
|April 30, 2014
Summary
Rats quickly develop aversions to tastes paired with cocaine, showing aversive taste reactivity (TR) after just one or two pairings. Early signs of this aversion predict later drug seeking and intake.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Pharmacology
- Addiction Research
Background:
- Cocaine use disorder is a significant public health issue.
- Conditioned taste aversion is a learned response to stimuli paired with aversive substances.
- Taste reactivity (TR) behaviors, like gapes, indicate aversive experiences in rats.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the rapid development of conditioned aversive taste reactivity (TR) to cocaine-associated cues.
- To determine if early TR changes predict subsequent drug-seeking and drug-taking behaviors in rats.
Main Methods:
- Rats received intraoral infusions of a taste cue paired with cocaine.
- Aversive taste reactivity (TR) behaviors were measured on a trial-by-trial basis.
- The relationship between early TR development and later drug-taking was analyzed.
Main Results:
- Conditioned aversive TR to cocaine-paired cues emerged very early in training (1-2 pairings).
- The magnitude of conditioned aversive TR early in training predicted later drug seeking.
- Early conditioned aversive TR also predicted subsequent drug taking in rats.
Conclusions:
- Conditioned aversive taste reactivity to drug-associated cues develops rapidly.
- Early measures of conditioned aversion can serve as predictive biomarkers for later drug use.
- These findings offer insights into the early learning mechanisms underlying addiction.
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