Learning Cues

Question 1

D2 receptors in heroin and cocaine addicts

Answer 1

Healthy controls in baseline test have greater binding than addicts. After challenge controls show decrease indicating dopamine release. Addicts don’t show this so aren’t releasing dopamine. Suggests decreased sensitivity to natural reinforcers.

Question 2

Thorndike’s law and effect

Answer 2

Behavioural repertoires become overlearned and automatic and triggered by environmental cues. Use isn’t goal oriented. Uses both operant and classical conditioning.

Question 3

Classical conditioning

Answer 3

Learn compensatory responses to maintain homeostasis. Drug stimuli cue drug use. Cues can induce conditional response leading to tolerance or withdrawal due to preparatory response decreasing baseline.

Question 4

Siegel 1975

Answer 4

Day 1-3: morphine exposure either in home (B) or test (A) environment.
Day 4: all given morphine in test environment. Group A showed tolerance, B didn’t.
Also seen heroin overdose.

Question 5

Types of craving

Answer 5

Withdrawal related- remove negative experiences

Cue elicited- in response to drug stimuli.

Question 6

Incentive sensitisation theory

Answer 6

Cue based. Reward isn’t a unitary concept. Liking Vs wanting. Addiction is a shift between them. Repeated use sensitises neural pathways and increases incentive salience for drugs and cues. Is believed to underlie attentional bias in addicts. Seen neurologically, dopamine increases more for drug cues than use.

Question 7

Individual differences in IS

Answer 7

Sign trackers vs goal trackers. Sign trackers will press lever when cue starts, goal trackers will go straight to food. Sign trackers show more D1 receptors in the NACC and more corticosterone which makes cues very desirable.