Associative learning mechanisms underpinning the transition from recreational drug use to addiction

Abstract

Learning theory proposes that drug seeking is a synthesis of multiple controllers. Whereas goal-directed drug seeking is determined by the anticipated incentive value of the drug, habitual drug seeking is elicited by stimuli that have formed a direct association with the response. Moreover, drug-paired stimuli can transfer control over separately trained drug seeking responses by retrieving an expectation of the drug's identity (specific transfer) or incentive value (general transfer). This review covers outcome devaluation and transfer of stimulus-control procedures in humans and animals, which isolate the differential governance of drug seeking by these four controllers following various degrees of contingent and noncontingent drug exposure. The neural mechanisms underpinning these four controllers are also reviewed. These studies suggest that although initial drug seeking is goal-directed, chronic drug exposure confers a progressive loss of control over action selection by specific outcome representations (impaired outcome devaluation and specific transfer), and a concomitant increase in control over action selection by antecedent stimuli (enhanced habit and general transfer). The prefrontal cortex and mediodorsal thalamus may play a role in this drug-induced transition to behavioral autonomy.

The role of learning-related dopamine signals in addiction vulnerability

“…One such effect was shown directly by Freeman et al (2012), who have found that abstinent smokers were more likely to associate a drug cue with reward than a non-drug cue. Indeed, attentional mechanisms are clearly important in learning (Pearce, 1997;Dayan et al, 2000) and possibly in the maintenance of addiction (Hogarth and Chase, 2011;Hogarth et al, 2013;Wiers et al, 2011).…”

Individual difference in configural associative learning.

“…Associative learning is thought to underlie a range of memory and learning capacities, including Pavlovian and instrumental conditioning (Bouton, 1994;Colwill & Rescorla, 1986;Wasserman & Miller, 1997), as well as more general aspects of human performance such as, instrumental or agentic control (Byrom, Msetfi, & Murphy, 2015;Msetfi, Murphy, Simpson, & Kornbrot, 2005), spatial navigation (Buckley, Smith, & Haselgrove, 2015;Pearce, 2009), motivational systems (e.g., appetite; Brunstrom, 2007), as well as response systems related to pathology, such as fear responses to threat (Arnaudova et al, 2013;Duits et al, 2015;Lissek et al, 2009), chemotherapy-induced anticipatory nausea (Hall, Stockhorst, Enck, & Klosterhalfen, 2015;Rodríguez, 2013), and the development and maintenance of substance addiction (Everitt & Robbins, 2016;Hogarth, Balleine, Corbit, & Killcross, 2013;Hogarth & Chase, 2012;Torres et al, 2013). Across all of these phenomena, experimental work suggests that individuals differ in their associative learning (e.g., Murphy & Msetfi, 2014).…”

Factores relacionados con la persistencia del hábito tabáquico en estudiantes universitarios

“…Acorde con lo propuesto por Hogarth et al (2013), se podría afirmar que los estudiantes inician su conducta de fumar con la intención de experimentar los efectos estimulantes de la nicotina, lo que genera que esa conducta inicial se repita nuevamente y se dé el hábito ocasionado por la búsqueda de la estimulación que provee dicha sustancia, y no tanto por la evitación de las sensaciones aversivas de los periodos de abstinencia.…”

“…De acuerdo con Hogarth, Balleine, Corbit, & Killcross (2013), el aprendizaje del consumo habitual del cigarrillo iniciaría dirigido hacia la búsqueda del efecto de la nicotina, por lo que la conducta del fumador novato estará enfocada principalmente a la demanda de estimulación y efectos de la sustancia, luego se aprenderán el hábito y las asociaciones de dichos efectos de la nicotina con estímulos particulares o claves del contexto. Según estos autores, las personas desarrollan dependencia y pierden el control sobre su acción porque se asocia la sustancia a la ejecución misma y esto conduce a una generalización del hábito de consumo hacia todos los ambientes de la persona.…”