Classical conditioning theories of addiction suggest that stimuli associated with rewards acquire incentive salience, inducing emotional and attentional conditioned responses. It is not clear whether those responses occur without contingency awareness (CA), i.e. are based on explicit or implicit learning processes. Examining implicit aspects of stimulus-reward associations can improve our understanding of addictive behaviours, supporting treatment and prevention strategies. However, the acquisition of conditioned responses without CA has yet to be rigorously demonstrated, as the existing literature shows a lack of methodological agreement regarding the measurement of implicit and explicit processes. The purpose of two experiments presented here was to study the emotional value acquired by CS through implicit emotional and attentional processes, trying to overcome critical methodological issues. Experiment 1 (n = 48) paired two stimuli categories (houses/buildings) with high (HR) or low (LR) probabilities of monetary reward. An Emotional Attentional Blink revealed preferential attention for HR over LR regardless of CA; while pleasantness ratings were unaffected, probably due to the intrinsic nature of CS. Experiment 2 (n = 60) replicated the effect of conditioning on the Emotional Attentional Blink utilising abstract CS (octagons/squares). In addition increased pleasantness for HR over LR was found significant overall, and marginally significant for Aware but not for Unaware participants. Here CA was rigorously determined using a signal-detection analysis and metacognitive-awareness measurements. Bayesian analyses verified the unconscious nature of the learning. These findings demonstrate that attentional conditioned responses can occur without CA and advance our understanding of the mechanisms by which implicit conditioning can occur and becomes observable. Furthermore, these results can highlight how addictive behaviours might develop.

Stimuli conditioned with a substance can generate drug-approach behaviors due to their acquired motivational properties. According to implicit theories of addiction, these stimuli can decrease cognitive control automatically. The present study (n = 49) examined whether reward-associated stimuli can interfere with cognitive processes in the absence of knowledge about stimulus-outcome contingencies. Conditioned stimuli (CS) were paired with high-reward (HR) or low-reward (LR) probabilities of monetary reward using a Pavlovian learning task. Participants were categorized as Aware or Unaware of contingencies using a Bayesian analysis. CS were then used as task-irrelevant distractors in modified flanker and N-back tasks. Results show HR CS can generate increased interference in the flanker task for participants Unaware of contingencies, contributing further evidence for the existence of implicit Pavlovian conditioning. For the N-back task, working memory performance was affected by HR CS, albeit only for Aware participants. These results suggest that CS can interfere implicitly with cognitive processes in a similar way to drug-related stimuli. Such an effect could occur in a stimulus-driven fashion, devoid of top-down goal-directedness. These findings have implications for the conceptualization and study of implicit processes in addiction and highlights the necessity to reconsider the measurement of such phenomena.

No abstract

The role of interoceptive signals in the development of cognitive biases for drug‐related cues has been hypothesized in the past; however, experimental evidence is lacking. This report examined the relationship between physiological responses and memories for alcohol cues. Participants (n = 158) were categorized as having either a positive or negative family history of alcohol use disorder (AUD). They were assigned to an alcohol, placebo, or control beverage condition to which they were blinded. All participants were presented with alcohol, neutral, and emotional cues. Heart rate variability (HRV) at 0.1 Hz, as an index of viscero‐afferent reactivity, and in the high‐frequency range was measured during picture‐cue exposure. Participants then completed free recall and repetition priming tasks to assess memories for previously presented stimuli. Participants with a positive family history (FHP) for AUD who received an alcohol beverage displayed a positive relationship between 0.1 Hz HRV and free recall. This effect was specific to alcohol cues, highlighting the relevance of physiological signals in the development of alcohol cognitive biases. These results support the hypothesis of a coordinated brain‐body interaction in the development of drug‐related behaviors. FHP as an AUD risk factor may increase the mapping of physiological responses onto cognitive biases for alcohol cues. Increased ratings of subjective intoxication dampened this relationship, suggesting that perceived bodily states may modulate incentive salience processes. This report provides novel evidence for the involvement of interoceptive signals in addictive processes, setting a precedent for the exploration of brain‐body interactions in the study of alcohol cognitive biases.

Rationale Alcohol priming can modulate the value of rewards, as observed through the effects of acute alcohol administration on cue reactivity. However, little is known about the psychophysiological mechanisms driving these effects. Here, we examine how alcohol-induced changes in bodily states shape the development of implicit attentional biases and explicit cue reactivity. Objectives To characterize the interoceptive correlates of alcohol priming effects on alcohol attentional biases and cue reactivity. Methods In a two-session double-blind alcohol administration procedure, participants ( n =31) were given a 0.4-g/kg dose of alcohol or a placebo drink. Cardiovascular responses were measured before and after alcohol administration to observe the effects of alcohol on viscero-afferent reactivity, as indexed through changes in heart rate variability (HRV) at or near 0.1 Hz (0.1-Hz HRV). Next, participants completed a modified flanker task to examine implicit alcohol attentional biases and provided subjective valence and arousal ratings of alcohol cues to examine explicit cue reactivity. Results We found that changes in 0.1-Hz HRV after alcohol administration positively correlated with attentional biases, and negatively correlated with alcohol valence ratings; blood alcohol content was a null predictor. Conclusions This is novel evidence that suggests alcohol-induced changes in bodily states may mediate the occurrence of alcohol priming effects and highlights the potentially generative role of interoceptive mechanisms in alcohol-related behaviors. The differential patterns revealed by implicit biases and explicit response tendencies are considered within the context of the dissociation between wanting and liking. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00213-021-05796-w.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract