J.P. Scott Center for Neuroscience, Mind and Behavior and Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, USA.
Eur J Neurosci. 2017 Aug;46(3):1837-1849. doi: 10.1111/ejn.13627. Epub 2017 Jul 30.
Alcohol consumption impairs judgment and choice. How alcohol alters these crucial processes is primarily unknown. Choice can be fractionated into different components including reward discrimination, preference and relative valuation that can function together or in isolation depending upon diverse factors including choice context. We examined the diverse components and contextual effects by analyzing the effects of alcohol drinking on choice behavior in a task with a reduced level of temporal and spatial constraints. Rats were trained to drink 10% ethanol during 6 weeks of behavior testing using a combined sucrose-fade and two-bottle free-choice procedure. Two different sucrose pellet outcomes (e.g., constant vs. variable) were presented each week to examine the impact of voluntary drinking on reward-based decision-making. Behavioral contexts of single option, free choice and extinction were examined for each outcome set. Comparisons were made between alcohol and control groups and within the alcohol group over time to inspect choice profiles. Between-group results showed alcohol drinking animals expressed altered place preference and modified sucrose reward approach latencies. The within-group profile showed that alcohol drinking animals can express adequate reward discrimination, preference and incentive contrast during free choice. All of these components were significantly reduced during the context of extinction. Control animals were also impacted by extinction but not as severely. The findings point to a need for a greater focus on the context and the diverse components of choice when examining external and internal factors influencing decision-making during alcohol or other substance of abuse exposure.
饮酒会损害判断力和选择能力。酒精如何改变这些关键过程主要是未知的。选择可以分为不同的成分，包括奖励辨别、偏好和相对估值，这些成分可以根据不同的因素一起或独立发挥作用，包括选择的背景。我们通过分析酒精对一项减少时间和空间限制的任务中的选择行为的影响，来研究不同的成分和背景效应。在 6 周的行为测试中，大鼠通过蔗糖消退和双瓶自由选择程序接受 10%乙醇的训练。每周呈现两种不同的蔗糖丸结果（例如，恒定与变化），以检查自愿饮酒对基于奖励的决策的影响。对每个结果集进行了单选项、自由选择和消退的行为背景检查。对每个结果集进行了单选项、自由选择和消退的行为背景检查。在每个结果集上，对酒精组和对照组以及酒精组内随时间的选择模式进行了比较。组间结果显示，饮酒动物表现出改变的位置偏好和改变的蔗糖奖励接近潜伏期。组内分析显示，饮酒动物在自由选择时可以表达适当的奖励辨别、偏好和激励对比。所有这些成分在消退的情况下都显著降低。对照组动物也受到消退的影响，但程度较轻。研究结果表明，在检查影响酒精或其他物质滥用暴露期间决策的外部和内部因素时，需要更加关注选择的背景和不同的成分。
