Subjective response to alcohol and associated craving in heavy drinkers vs. alcohol dependents: an examination of Koob's allostatic model in humans.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Koob's allostatic model of addiction emphasizes the transition from positive reinforcement to negative reinforcement as dependence develops. This study seeks to extend this well-established neurobiological model to humans by examining subjective response to alcohol (SR) as a biobehavioral marker of alcohol reinforcement. Specifically, this study examines (a) differential SR in heavy drinkers (HDs) vs. alcohol dependent individuals (ADs) and (b) whether HDs and ADs differ in terms of the association between SR and craving.

Methods

Data was culled from two alcohol challenge studies, totalling 91 participants (oversampled on OPRM1 Asp40 carriers). Alcohol was administered intravenously and participants completed standard measures of SR and craving at BrAC's of 0.02,

SUBMITTER: Bujarski S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4169206 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature