Work

Animal Studies of Addictive Behavior

Year: 2012

Type: preprint

Abstract: It is increasingly recognized that studying drug taking in laboratory animals does not equate to studying genuine addiction, characterized by loss of control over drug use. This has inspired recent work aimed at capturing genuine addiction-like behavior in animals. In this work, we summarize empirical evidence for the occurrence of several DSM-IV-like symptoms of addiction in animals after extended drug use. These symptoms include escalation of drug use, neurocognitive deficits, resistance to extinction, increased motivation for drugs, preference for drugs over nondrug rewards, and resistance to punishment. The fact that addiction-like behavior can occur and be studied in animals gives us the exciting opportunity to investigate the neural and genetic background of drug addiction, which we hope will ultimately lead to the development of more effective treatments for this devastating disorder.

Source: Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine

DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a011932

Authors: L. J. M. J. Vanderschuren, S. H. Ahmed

Institutions: Utrecht University, University Medical Center Utrecht, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives

Language: English

Topic: Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

Subfield: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: Agence Nationale de la Recherche, ZonMw, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, National Institute on Drug Abuse