Time to connect: bringing social context into addiction neuroscience

Heilig, Markus; Epstein, David H.; Nader, Michael A.; Shaham, Yavin

doi:10.1038/nrn.2016.67

Cited by 248 publications

(199 citation statements)

References 128 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

182

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…In contrast, abstinence in humans is often voluntary due to either the negative consequences of chronic drug use or the availability of competing alternative non-drug rewards (Epstein et al, 2006;Katz and Higgins, 2003); in the latter case, relapse vulnerability is high after loss of the alternative rewards (Heilig et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Incubation of Methamphetamine but not Heroin Craving After Voluntary Abstinence in Male and Female Rats

Vènniro¹,

Zhang²,

Shaham³

et al. 2016

Neuropsychopharmacol

Self Cite

119

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We recently introduced an animal model of incubation of methamphetamine craving after choice-based voluntary abstinence in male rats. Here we studied the generality of this phenomenon to (1) female rats, and (2) male and female rats with a history of heroin self-administration. We first trained rats to self-administer palatable food pellets for 6 days (6 h per day) for either methamphetamine (0.1 mg/kg/infusion) or heroin (0.1 mg/kg/infusion) for 12 days (6 h/day). We then assessed relapse to drug seeking under extinction conditions after 1 and 21 abstinence days. Between tests, the rats underwent either voluntary abstinence (achieved via a discrete choice procedure between drug and palatable food; 20 trials/day) or home-cage forced abstinence. We found no sex differences in methamphetamine self-administration or in the strong preference for the palatable food over methamphetamine during the choice-based voluntary abstinence. In both sexes, methamphetamine seeking in the relapse tests was higher after 21 days of either voluntary or forced abstinence than after 1 day (incubation of methamphetamine craving). We also found no sex differences in heroin self-administration or the strong preference for the palatable food over heroin during the choice-based voluntary abstinence. However, male and female rats with a history of heroin self-administration showed incubation of heroin craving after forced but not voluntary abstinence. Our results show that incubation of methamphetamine craving after voluntary abstinence generalizes to female rats. Unexpectedly, prolonged voluntary abstinence prevented the emergence of incubation of heroin craving in both sexes.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Incubation of Methamphetamine but not Heroin Craving After Voluntary Abstinence in Male and Female Rats

Vènniro¹,

Zhang²,

Shaham³

et al. 2016

Neuropsychopharmacol

Self Cite

119

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Therefore, examining the effects of opioids on social processing will inform more effective treatment options for those seeking treatment from addiction. Indeed, relapse is most commonly triggered by social stressors (Heilig et al, 2016) and social support for abstinence has a significant influence on treatment success (Havassy et al, 1991). If treatment-seeking individuals are already socially vulnerable, treatment options will need to address ways to maintain feelings of social connection that are altered from the medications themselves.…”

Section: Translational Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, results from social pharmacology studies such as those reviewed here have implications for a range of clinical outcomes marked by social withdrawal, feelings of social disconnection, and other social deficits (e.g., depression; Panksepp, Wright, Dobrossy, Schlaepfer, & Coenen, 2014). Social factors are also emerging as key contributors to the entire trajectory of disease, from identifying those at risk (e.g., Slavich & Irwin, 2014), to estimating the progression of disease (e.g., Lutgendorf & Sood, 2011), to predicting recovery (e.g., Heilig et al, 2016). Opioids should be considered among other healthrelated pathways in the body (e.g., inflammation; Eisenberger, Moieni, Inagaki, Muscatell, & Irwin, 2017) to better understand how social interactions affect health outcomes.…”

Section: Translational Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Opioids and Social Connection

Inagaki

2018

Curr Dir Psychol Sci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Social connection, the pleasurable, subjective experience of feeling close to and bonded with other people, is critical for well-being and continued social bonding. Despite the importance of social connection for many important outcomes, few researchers have experimentally examined how humans connect with those to whom they feel close. The strongest insights into the biological bases of social connection come from animal research, which shows that social bonds rely on the same neurochemicals that support general motivation. One class of neurochemicals, opioids, has received increased attention in recent years with the rise of pharmacological methods to manipulate opioids in humans. This article reviews emerging findings to show that opioids affect social feelings, behaviors, and perceptions in both positive and negative social experiences and concludes with the implications of such findings. Future work should consider the subjective feelings of social connection felt during interactions with close social contacts in order to further the understanding of social connection.

show abstract

“…by housing them individually) also consumed more alcohol compared with animals housed in groups (Wolffgramm and Heyne, 1991;Helms et al, 2012). However, our understanding of the underlying mechanisms is still very limited, and it was recently suggested that in order to improve clinical relevance of addiction science, future studies should focus more specifically on the role of social context including factors such as social exclusion (Heilig et al, 2016). Yet, despite extensive literature in the field of alcohol research, the vast majority of publications focus on the effects of social mediators on drinking behavior, whereas the opposite, i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prior social experience affects the behavioral and neural responses to acute alcohol in juvenile crayfish

Swierzbinski

Lazarchik

Herberholz

2017

Journal of Experimental Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The effects of alcohol on society can be devastating, both as an immediate consequence of acute intoxication and as a powerful drug of abuse. However, the neurocellular mechanisms of alcohol intoxication are still elusive, partly because of the complex interactions between alcohol and nervous system function. We found that juvenile crayfish are behaviorally sensitive to acute alcohol exposure and progress through stages that are strikingly similar to those of most other intoxicated organisms. Most surprisingly, we found that the social history of the animals significantly modified the acute effects of alcohol. Crayfish taken from a rich social environment became intoxicated more rapidly than animals that were socially isolated before alcohol exposure. In addition, we found that the modulation of intoxicated behaviors by prior social experience was paralleled on the level of individual neurons. These results significantly improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the interplay between social experience, alcohol intoxication and nervous system function.

show abstract

Time to connect: bringing social context into addiction neuroscience

Cited by 248 publications

References 128 publications

Incubation of Methamphetamine but not Heroin Craving After Voluntary Abstinence in Male and Female Rats

Incubation of Methamphetamine but not Heroin Craving After Voluntary Abstinence in Male and Female Rats

Opioids and Social Connection

Prior social experience affects the behavioral and neural responses to acute alcohol in juvenile crayfish

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About