Food deprivation and cocaine self-administration.

The effects of food deprivation on the self-administration of cocaine were assessed in three rhesus monkeys under different schedules of reinforcement. In one subject, decreasing body weight to 80% of free-feeding weight (ffw) resulted in increase response rates and number of cocaine infusions taken. The same effects were observed in a second subject when restricted food intake resulted in 88% ffw. When schedule contingencies limited the number of infusions available, reduction to 90% ffw in the third subject resulted in increased response rates. These data suggest that food deprivation can be a potent variable in responding maintained by cocaine self-administration.