Behavioral Momentum of Alcohol Self-Administration

酒精自我管理的行为动力

基本信息

批准号：
7380784
负责人：
Timothy A Shahan
金额：
$ 22.08万
依托单位：
UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
财政年份：
2008
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2008-04-01 至 2013-03-31
项目状态：
已结题

项目摘要

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The persistence of drug and alcohol seeking is a critical issue in the treatment of substance abuse and dependence. Drug cues figure prominently in current theories of addiction and are thought to play a role in the persistence of drug seeking and relapse. Because drug taking is operant behavior, animal models of drug self-administration based on operant conditioning have been useful in examining how biological and environmental variables contribute to drug seeking and relapse. Methodological and theoretical developments in the study of the persistence of operant behavior in the face of disruption may provide further insights into to the persistence of drug-maintained responding. Behavioral momentum theory provides a set of methods and a quantitative theory of how reinforcement conditions affect the persistence of behavior in the presence of a stimulus. Based on a prediction of behavioral momentum theory, we have found that the persistence of alcohol seeking in the presence of a stimulus depends on all the reinforcers (both drug and non-drug) available in that stimulus, even if some of those reinforcers interfere with drug-seeking. Thus, it may be necessary to consider all of the sources of reinforcement (i.e., drug and non-drug) associated with a drug cue to understand the impact of that cue on the persistence of drug seeking. Further extensions of the methods and quantitative theoretical framework of behavioral momentum theory may provide important insights into the persistence of drug seeking in the presence of drug cues. In addition, because drug cues appear to play a role in relapse, extensions of behavioral momentum theory to an animal model of relapse may provide insights into how the context of reinforcement contributes to relapse in the presence of drug cues. The proposed research aims to: 1) Further examine the effects of alternative non-drug reinforcers on the persistence of alcohol self-administration; 2) Examine the utility of extending the quantitative account of resistance to change provided by behavioral momentum to alcohol self-administration; and 3) Extend behavioral momentum to an animal model of relapse. Continued examination of these issues is important because the persistence of drug seeking is one of the defining features of drug and alcohol abuse. A better understanding of how drug cues impact the persistence of drug seeking may suggest novel behavioral interventions targeted at reducing the impact of exposure to such cues. This project is important to public health because it will help provide an understanding of the factors that make drug and alcohol abuse so persistent. Findings from this project may suggest novel behavioral treatments targeted at reducing the persistence of drug and alcohol abuse and preventing relapse.

描述（由申请人提供）：寻求毒品和酒精的持久性是治疗药物滥用和依赖性的关键问题。药物提示在当前成瘾理论中显着，并被认为在寻求和复发的持续存在中发挥作用。由于吸毒是操作行为，因此基于操作条件的药物自我给药的动物模型对于研究生物和环境变量如何有助于吸毒和复发有用。在研究中持续存在的方法和理论发展时，面对干扰行为的持久性可能会进一步了解对毒品维护抗议的持续性的持续性。行为动量理论提供了一组方法和一种定量理论，即增强条件如何影响刺激存在的行为的持久性。基于对行为动量理论的预测，我们发现在存在刺激的情况下寻求酒精的持久性取决于该刺激的所有增强剂（既有药物和非药物），即使其中一些增强剂干扰了寻求药物寻求药物。因此，可能有必要考虑与药物提示相关的所有加固来源（即药物和非药物），以了解该提示对寻求药物的持久性的影响。行为动量理论的方法和定量理论框架的进一步扩展可能会为在存在药物提示的存在下寻求药物的持续性提供重要的见解。此外，由于药物提示似乎在复发中起作用，因此行为动量理论扩展到复发的动物模型可能会洞悉加固的背景如何在存在药物提示的情况下有助于复发。拟议的研究旨在：1）进一步研究替代性非药物增强剂对酒精自我管理持续性的影响； 2）检查扩展对行为动量对酒精自我给药的抗性变化的定量说明的实用性； 3）将行为动量扩展到复发模型。继续检查这些问题很重要，因为寻求药物的持续存在是毒品和酗酒的决定性特征之一。更好地理解药物提示如何影响药物寻求药物的持久性可能表明针对减少这种提示的影响的新型行为干预措施。该项目对公共卫生很重要，因为它将有助于了解使毒品和酗酒如此持久的因素。该项目的发现可能表明，针对减少毒品和酗酒持续性并防止复发的新型行为治疗。