The priming effect of food persists following blockade of dopamine receptors.

The priming effect of rewards is a boost in the vigor of reward seeking resulting from the previous receipt of a reward. Extensive work has been carried out on the priming effect of electrical brain stimulation, but much less research exists on the priming effect of natural rewards, such as food. While both reinforcement and motivation are linked with dopamine transmission in the brain, the priming effect of rewards does not appear to be dopamine-dependent.