Ll. Peoples et al., OPERANT-BEHAVIOR DURING SESSIONS OF INTRAVENOUS COCAINE INFUSION IS NECESSARY AND SUFFICIENT FOR PHASIC FILING OF SINGLE NUCLEUS-ACCUMBENS NEURONS, Brain research, 757(2), 1997, pp. 280-284
The activity of individual accumbens neurons in rats was recorded in r
elation to intravenous cocaine infusions that were either response (i.
e., lever press) contingent or response non-contingent. Neural firing
was additionally recorded in relation to non-reinforced lever presses.
Comparisons of firing under the three conditions showed that operant
behavior was necessary and sufficient for preinfusion firing to occur.
Surprisingly, the same was true, in many cases, for firing that occur
red during the infusion. For other neurons, firing during the infusion
was unrelated to operant behavior and possibly related to infusion st
imuli. The relationship to operant behavior exhibited by the majority
of NAcc neurons is consistent with previous studies that demonstrated
a necessary relationship between NAcc neurons and cocaine reinforced o
perant behavior.