Efeitos do histórico de reforçamento na aprendizagem estado dependente com roedores: um estudo introdutório

Abstract

State-dependant learning occurs when an organism acquires a behavior under the influence of a psychoactive substance. This type of learning is characterized by the fact that the learned behavior is not exhibited in the absence of the substance. However, studies on this topic are limited to observing the acquisition process of the behavior in a dependent state, rather than its maintenance, which is part of the learning process. In light of this, the present study aims to observe the long-term effects of the dependent state and the possibility of reversing its effects in a regimen of caffeine insertion and withdrawal. This study consisted of training the bar-pressing response in 4 Wistar rats, 3 males and 1 female, in the presence of caffeine, following a testing phase with and without the substance in an ABABA design, single-subject. The results show that it was possible to replicate the studied phenomenon; however, the third testing phase produced a lower number of responses compared to the first, with both conducted with caffeine, characterizing an unexpected result. The role of the extinction process in the performance of the third test is theorized, requiring further investigation in future research.