Addiction is driven by excessive goal-directed drug choice under negative affect: translational critique of habit and compulsion theory.

ABSTRACT: Drug addiction may be a goal-directed choice driven by excessive drug value in negative affective states, a habit driven by strong stimulus-response associations, or a compulsion driven by insensitivity to costs imposed on drug seeking. Laboratory animal and human evidence for these three theories is evaluated. Excessive goal theory is supported by dependence severity being associated with greater drug choice/economic demand. Drug choice is demonstrably goal-directed (driven by the expected value of the drug) and can be augmented by stress/negative mood induction and withdrawal-effects amplified in those with psychiatric symptoms and drug use coping motives. Furthermore, psychiatric symptoms confer risk of dependence, and coping motives mediate this risk. Habit theory of addiction has weak

SUBMITTER: Hogarth L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7265389 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature