Influence of cue-conditioning on acquisition, maintenance and relapse of cocaine intravenous self-administration.

Conditioning theories propose that, through a Pavlovian associative process, discrete stimuli acquire the ability to elicit neural states involved in the maintenance and relapse of a drug-taking behaviour. Experimental evidence indicates that drug-related cues play a role in relapse, however, their influence on the development and maintenance of drug self-administration has been poorly investigated. In this report, we analysed the effects of a drug-associated cue light on acquisition, maintenance and reinstatement of intravenous cocaine self-administration.