Conditioned place preference

Conditioned place preference (also known as environmental place conditioning) is a technique commonly used in animal studies to evaluate preferences for environmental stimuli that have been associated with a positive or negative reward. The technique is often used to determine the addiction potential of drugs.

The procedure involves several trials where the animal is presented with the positive stimulus (e.g., food, neurotransmitters or the effects of a drug of abuse) paired with placement in a distinct environment containing various cues (e.g., tactile, visual, and/or olfactory). When later tested in the normal state, approaches and the amount of time spent in the compartments previously associated with the positive stimulus serves as an indicator of preference and a measure of reward learning.