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Haloperidol and nucleus accumbens dopamine depletion suppress lever pressing for food but increase free food consumption in a novel food choice procedure

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Abstract

An important aspect of motivated behavior is that organisms will perform complex instrumental behaviors to gain access to stimuli such as food. In the present study, food-deprived rats were tested in an operant chamber in which the animals had a choice between pressing a lever to obtain a more-preferred food (Bioserve pellets), or free feeding on a less-preferred food (lab chow). Typically, rats pressed the lever to obtain the preferred food pellets, and ate little of the less-preferred food even though it was freely available. Pre-fed rats showed suppression of both lever pressing and feeding. Systemic administration of 0.1 mg/kg haloperidol (HP) led to a dramatic shift in the behavior of these rats, such that the number of lever presses was substantially reduced, but the amount of less-preferred food consumed showed a significant increase. This result occurred if the rats pressed a lever on either a CRF or FR5 schedule. Injection of 3.5–7.0 µg HP directly into the nucleus accumbens, or intra-accumbens injections of 6-hydroxy-dopamine, also decreased lever pressing for food and increased feeding on laboratory chow. Thus, interference with brain dopamine suppressed a highly active instrumental response for food, although the behavior of the animal was still directed towards food acquisition and consumption.

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  1. Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, 06269-1020, Storrs, CT, USA

    J. D. Salamone, R. E. Steinpreis, L. D. McCullough, P. Smith, D. Grebel & K. Mahan

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  1. J. D. Salamone
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  2. R. E. Steinpreis
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  3. L. D. McCullough
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  4. P. Smith
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  5. D. Grebel
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  6. K. Mahan
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Salamone, J.D., Steinpreis, R.E., McCullough, L.D. et al. Haloperidol and nucleus accumbens dopamine depletion suppress lever pressing for food but increase free food consumption in a novel food choice procedure. Psychopharmacology 104, 515–521 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02245659

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02245659

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