TY - JOUR
T1 - Development of Novel Tasks to Assess Outcome-Specific and General Pavlovian-to-Instrumental Transfer in Humans
AU - Belanger, Matthew J.
AU - Chen, Hao
AU - Hentschel, Angela
AU - Garbusow, Maria
AU - Ebrahimi, Claudia
AU - Knorr, Felix G.
AU - Zech, Hilmar G.
AU - Pilhatsch, Maximilian
AU - Heinz, Andreas
AU - Smolka, Michael N.
N1 - This study was supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft project numbers 402170461 [TRR 265: Losing and Regaining Control over Drug Intake: Trajectories, Mechanisms, and Interventions], 186318919
[FOR 1617: Learning and Habitization as Predictors of the Development and Maintenance of Alcoholism], and 178833530 [SFB 940: Volition and Cognitive Control: Mechanisms, Modulators and Dysfunctions]).
PY - 2022/12
Y1 - 2022/12
N2 - INTRODUCTION: The emergence of Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) research in the human neurobehavioral domain has been met with increased interest over the past two decades. A variety of PIT tasks were developed during this time; while successful in demonstrating transfer phenomena, existing tasks have limitations that should be addressed. Herein, we introduce two PIT paradigms designed to assess outcome-specific and general PIT within the context of addiction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The single-lever PIT task, based on an established paradigm, replaced button presses with joystick motion to better assess avoidance behavior. The full transfer task uses alcohol and nonalcohol rewards associated with Pavlovian cues and instrumental responses, along with other gustatory and monetary rewards. We constructed mixed-effects models with the addition of other statistical analyses as needed to interpret various behavioral measures. RESULTS: Single-lever PIT: both versions were successful in eliciting a PIT effect (joystick: p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.36, button-box: p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.30). Full transfer task: it was determined that the alcohol and nonalcoholic reward cues selectively primed their respective reward-associated responses (gustatory version: p < 0.001, r = 0.59, and monetary version: p < 0.001, r = 0.84). The appetitive/aversive cues resulted in a general transfer effect (gustatory: p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.09, and monetary: p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.17). DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Single-lever PIT: PIT was observed in both task versions. We posit that the use of a joystick is more advantageous for the analysis of avoidance behavior. It evenly distributes movement between approach and avoid trials, which is relevant to analyzing fMRI data. Full transfer task: While gustatory conditioning has been used in the past to elicit transfer effects, we present the first paradigm that successfully elicits both specific and general transfers in humans with gustatory alcohol rewards.
AB - INTRODUCTION: The emergence of Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) research in the human neurobehavioral domain has been met with increased interest over the past two decades. A variety of PIT tasks were developed during this time; while successful in demonstrating transfer phenomena, existing tasks have limitations that should be addressed. Herein, we introduce two PIT paradigms designed to assess outcome-specific and general PIT within the context of addiction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The single-lever PIT task, based on an established paradigm, replaced button presses with joystick motion to better assess avoidance behavior. The full transfer task uses alcohol and nonalcohol rewards associated with Pavlovian cues and instrumental responses, along with other gustatory and monetary rewards. We constructed mixed-effects models with the addition of other statistical analyses as needed to interpret various behavioral measures. RESULTS: Single-lever PIT: both versions were successful in eliciting a PIT effect (joystick: p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.36, button-box: p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.30). Full transfer task: it was determined that the alcohol and nonalcoholic reward cues selectively primed their respective reward-associated responses (gustatory version: p < 0.001, r = 0.59, and monetary version: p < 0.001, r = 0.84). The appetitive/aversive cues resulted in a general transfer effect (gustatory: p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.09, and monetary: p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.17). DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Single-lever PIT: PIT was observed in both task versions. We posit that the use of a joystick is more advantageous for the analysis of avoidance behavior. It evenly distributes movement between approach and avoid trials, which is relevant to analyzing fMRI data. Full transfer task: While gustatory conditioning has been used in the past to elicit transfer effects, we present the first paradigm that successfully elicits both specific and general transfers in humans with gustatory alcohol rewards.
KW - Appetitive conditioning
KW - Approach-avoidance
KW - Full transfer
KW - General Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer
KW - Gustatory reward
KW - Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer
KW - Reward
KW - Specific Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85143379671&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1159/000526774
DO - 10.1159/000526774
M3 - Article
C2 - 36380640
SN - 0302-282X
VL - 81
SP - 370
EP - 386
JO - Neuropsychobiology
JF - Neuropsychobiology
IS - 5
ER -
