Effect of yohimbine on reinstatement of operant responding in rats is dependent on cue contingency but not food reward history.

ABSTRACT: Yohimbine is an alpha-2 adrenoceptor antagonist that has been used in numerous studies as a pharmacological stressor in rodents, monkeys and humans. Recently, yohimbine has become the most common stress manipulation in studies on reinstatement of drug and food seeking. However, the wide range of conditions under which yohimbine promotes reward seeking is significantly greater than that of stressors like intermittent footshock. Here, we addressed two fundamental questions regarding yohimbine's effect on reinstatement of reward seeking: (1) whether the drug's effect on operant responding is dependent on previous reward history or cue contingency, and (2) whether yohimbine is aversive or rewarding under conditions typically used in reinstatement studies. We also used in vivo microdialysis to

SUBMITTER: Chen YW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4308573 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature