|
Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
|
A motivational learning hypothesis of the role of mesolimbic dopamine in compulsive drug use
Gaetano Di Chiara
Department of Toxicology and Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Center for Neuropharmacology, University of Cagliari, Viale A. Diaz 182, 09126 Cagliari, Italy
The effects of drugs and substances of abuse on central dopamine (DA) transmission studied by in vivo monitoring techniques have been examined and compared with those of conventional reinforcers and in particular with food. The similarities and differences in the action of drugs and conventional reinforcers on DA transmission can provide the basis for an hypothesis of the mechanism of drug addiction and compulsive drug use. This hypothesis states that drug addiction is due to excessive control over behaviour exerted by drug- related stimuli as a result of abnormal motivational learning induced by repeated drug exposure. Such abnormal motivational learning would derive from the repetitive non-habituating property of drugs of abuse to activate DA transmission phasically in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) 'shell'. Thus, activation of DA transmission by conventional reinforcers is under strong inhibitory control by previous exposure to the reinforcer (habituation); this, however, is not the case with drug reinforcers. Repetitive, non-adaptive release of DA in the NAc 'shell' by drugs of abuse would result in abnormal strengthening of stimulus-reward (incentive learning) and stimulus-response associations (habit learning) that constitute the basis for craving and compulsive drug use.
Key Words: addiction • behaviour • dependence • dopamine • drug abuse • learning • microdialysis • motivation • nucleus accumbens
Journal of Psychopharmacology, Vol. 12, No. 1,
54-67 (1998)
DOI: 10.1177/026988119801200108
 CiteULike  Complore  Connotea  Del.icio.us  Digg  Reddit  Technorati  Twitter What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
|
|
 
A. E. Sahr, D. K. Sindelar, J. T. Alexander-Chacko, B. J. Eastwood, C. H. Mitch, and M. A. Statnick
Activation of mesolimbic dopamine neurons during novel and daily limited access to palatable food is blocked by the opioid antagonist LY255582
Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol,
August 1, 2008;
295(2):
R463 - R471.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. Horsley, P. Moran, and H. Cassaday
Appetitive overshadowing is disrupted by systemic amphetamine but not by electrolytic lesions to the nucleus accumbens shell
J Psychopharmacol,
March 1, 2008;
22(2):
172 - 181.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I Ballesteros-Yanez, E Ambrosio, R Benavides-Piccione, J Perez, I Torres, M Miguens, C Garcia-Lecumberri, and J DeFelipe
The Effects of Morphine Self-Administration on Cortical Pyramidal Cell Structure in Addiction-Prone Lewis Rats
Cereb Cortex,
January 1, 2007;
17(1):
238 - 249.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I. H.A. Franken, K. P. Hulstijn, C. J. Stam, V. M. Hendriks, and W. van den Brink
Two new neurophysiological indices of cocaine craving: evoked brain potentials and cue modulated startle reflex
J Psychopharmacol,
December 1, 2004;
18(4):
544 - 552.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
L. L. Peoples, K. G. Lynch, J. Lesnock, and N. Gangadhar
Accumbal Neural Responses During the Initiation and Maintenance of Intravenous Cocaine Self-Administration
J Neurophysiol,
January 1, 2004;
91(1):
314 - 323.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
L. L. Peoples and D. Cavanaugh
Differential Changes in Signal and Background Firing of Accumbal Neurons During Cocaine Self-Administration
J Neurophysiol,
August 1, 2003;
90(2):
993 - 1010.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I. H. A. Franken, L. Y. Kroon, R. W. Wiers, and A. Jansen
Selective cognitive processing of drug cues in heroin dependence
J Psychopharmacol,
July 1, 2000;
14(4):
395 - 400.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
