ABSTRACT
Psychomotor stimulants and opiates act as other natural reinforcers that increase the probability of a response: These drugs, as other reinforcers such as food, strengthen and maintain operant behavior, that is, drug self-administration (Pickens & Harris, 1968; Woods & Schuster, 1968; Deneau, Yanagita & Seevers, 1969; Thompson & Pickens, 1970; Yokel & Pickens, 1973; Schuster & Thompson, 1969). Given the neuropharmacological advances that allow for relatively specific inactivation of specific neurochemical systems, it becomes feasible to examine the neurobiological mechanisms for these reinforcing effects. Such studies would not only provide information on the basic mechanisms of action for the behavioral effects of these drugs, but also should provide insight into the neurobiological organization of reinforcement processes themselves.
