Pavlovian Spontaneous Recovery as a Measure of Alcohol-Seeking Behavior

Alcohol (EtOH) addiction can be characterized as a chronic relapsing disorder. EtOH craving is a critical precipitating factor to relapse. Environmental and conditioning cues can elicit drug-seeking ‘craving’ in both humans and rodents. The operant Pavlovian Spontaneous Recovery (PSR) model of EtOH-seeking is a unique and suitable model for studying ‘craving-like’ behavior as well as examining underlying neural systems and mechanisms that may be involved in ‘craving-like’ and, by extension, relapse behavior in rodents. Our objective is to provide the reader with details and methods on the benefits of using the PSR model to examine and better understand EtOH ‘craving-like’ behavior.