Test of Deutsch's Drive-Decay Theory of Rewarding Self-Stimulation of the Brain

Deutsch's theory of intracranial self-stimulation generates experimental predictions regarding the effects of both free stimulation of the brain and the pre-extinction training procedure on extinction behavior after rewarding stimulation of the brain. The results of one experiment confirmed the prediction regarding free stimulation; the other experiment did not provide the expected result. We concluded that Deutsch's theory, in its present form, is of restricted enerality.