A main challenge in addiction treatment is high relapse rates during abstinence. This clinical scenario has been traditionally studied using animal models of relapse in which drug seeking is assessed after experimenter-imposed homecage forced abstinence or extinction of drug-reinforced responding [1]. However, human abstinence is typically voluntary and often occurs because of the negative consequences of drug seeking (e.g., adverse interactions with drug dealers or law enforcement) [1]. To conceptually model this human condition, we developed a rat model of incubation of drug relapse and craving (time-dependent increases in drug seeking during abstinence) after electric barrier-induced abstinence [2]. In our model, which is based on old [3] and more recent [4] publications, we achieve abstinence by introducing an electric barrier of increasing intensity that causes cessation of oxycodone self-administration. We next test for relapse to drug seeking without the barrier or the drug. The electric barrier relapse model is conceptually similar to punishment-based relapse models, with one important difference: the negative consequences are associated with drug seeking not drug taking [1].

In the first study, we compared incubation of oxycodone craving after homecage forced abstinence vs. electric barrier-induced voluntary abstinence [2]. We found that independent of sex, incubation of oxycodone craving was substantially stronger after electric barrier-induced abstinence than after forced abstinence. These results suggest that abstinence induced by negative consequences of drug seeking would inadvertently increase relapse vulnerability.

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