Behavioral Momentum of Alcohol Self-Administration

描述（由申请人提供）：持续寻求药物和酒精是治疗药物滥用和依赖的一个关键问题。药物线索在当前的成瘾理论中占有重要地位，被认为在持续的药物寻求和复发中发挥作用。由于服药是一种操作性行为，基于操作性条件作用的自我给药动物模型在研究生物和环境变量如何影响药物寻求和复发方面非常有用。在面对破坏时操作性行为的持续研究中，方法和理论的发展可能为药物维持反应的持续提供进一步的见解。行为动量理论提供了一套方法和定量理论，说明在刺激存在的情况下，强化条件如何影响行为的持久性。基于行为动量理论的预测，我们发现，在刺激存在的情况下，寻求酒精的持久性取决于该刺激中可用的所有强化物（包括药物和非药物），即使其中一些强化物会干扰寻求药物。因此，可能有必要考虑与药物线索相关的所有强化来源（即药物和非药物），以了解该线索对药物寻找持久性的影响。行为动量理论的方法和定量理论框架的进一步扩展可能为药物线索存在下药物寻找的持久性提供重要的见解。此外，由于药物线索似乎在复发中起作用，将行为动量理论扩展到复发的动物模型中，可能有助于了解在药物线索存在的情况下，强化背景如何促进复发。本研究旨在：1)进一步研究替代非药物强化剂对酒精自我给药持续性的影响；2)检验将行为动量提供的抗拒变化的定量描述扩展到酒精自我管理的效用；3)将行为动量扩展到复发的动物模型。继续审查这些问题很重要，因为持续寻求药物是药物和酒精滥用的决定性特征之一。更好地了解药物线索如何影响药物寻找的持久性，可能会提出新的行为干预措施，旨在减少暴露于此类线索的影响。这个项目对公共卫生很重要，因为它将有助于了解使药物和酒精滥用如此持久的因素。该项目的研究结果可能会提出新的行为治疗方法，旨在减少药物和酒精滥用的持久性，并防止复发。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The persistence of drug and alcohol seeking is a critical issue in the treatment of substance abuse and dependence. Drug cues figure prominently in current theories of addiction and are thought to play a role in the persistence of drug seeking and relapse. Because drug taking is operant behavior, animal models of drug self-administration based on operant conditioning have been useful in examining how biological and environmental variables contribute to drug seeking and relapse. Methodological and theoretical developments in the study of the persistence of operant behavior in the face of disruption may provide further insights into to the persistence of drug-maintained responding. Behavioral momentum theory provides a set of methods and a quantitative theory of how reinforcement conditions affect the persistence of behavior in the presence of a stimulus. Based on a prediction of behavioral momentum theory, we have found that the persistence of alcohol seeking in the presence of a stimulus depends on all the reinforcers (both drug and non-drug) available in that stimulus, even if some of those reinforcers interfere with drug-seeking. Thus, it may be necessary to consider all of the sources of reinforcement (i.e., drug and non-drug) associated with a drug cue to understand the impact of that cue on the persistence of drug seeking. Further extensions of the methods and quantitative theoretical framework of behavioral momentum theory may provide important insights into the persistence of drug seeking in the presence of drug cues. In addition, because drug cues appear to play a role in relapse, extensions of behavioral momentum theory to an animal model of relapse may provide insights into how the context of reinforcement contributes to relapse in the presence of drug cues. The proposed research aims to: 1) Further examine the effects of alternative non-drug reinforcers on the persistence of alcohol self-administration; 2) Examine the utility of extending the quantitative account of resistance to change provided by behavioral momentum to alcohol self-administration; and 3) Extend behavioral momentum to an animal model of relapse. Continued examination of these issues is important because the persistence of drug seeking is one of the defining features of drug and alcohol abuse. A better understanding of how drug cues impact the persistence of drug seeking may suggest novel behavioral interventions targeted at reducing the impact of exposure to such cues. This project is important to public health because it will help provide an understanding of the factors that make drug and alcohol abuse so persistent. Findings from this project may suggest novel behavioral treatments targeted at reducing the persistence of drug and alcohol abuse and preventing relapse.