Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Site Tools

  • AAAS
  • Subscribe
  • Feedback

Site Search

Search Advanced

Science 6 June 2008:
Vol. 320. no. 5881, pp. 1352 - 1355
DOI: 10.1126/science.1158136
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Reports

High Impulsivity Predicts the Switch to Compulsive Cocaine-Taking

David Belin,1* Adam C. Mar,1 Jeffrey W. Dalley,1,2 Trevor W. Robbins,1 Barry J. Everitt1*

Both impulsivity and novelty-seeking have been suggested to be behavioral markers of the propensity to take addictive drugs. However, their relevance for the vulnerability to compulsively seek and take drugs, which is a hallmark feature of addiction, is unknown. We report here that, whereas high reactivity to novelty predicts the propensity to initiate cocaine self-administration, high impulsivity predicts the development of addiction-like behavior in rats, including persistent or compulsive drug-taking in the face of aversive outcomes. This study shows experimental evidence that a shift from impulsivity to compulsivity occurs during the development of addictive behavior, which provides insights into the genesis and neural mechanisms of drug addiction.

1 Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute and Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK.
2 Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 2QQ, UK.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: bdb26{at}cam.ac.uk (D.B.); bje10{at}cam.ac.uk (B.J.E.)

Read the Full Text


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Anterior cingulate cortex hypoactivations to an emotionally salient task in cocaine addiction.
R. Z. Goldstein, N. Alia-Klein, D. Tomasi, J. H. Carrillo, T. Maloney, P. A. Woicik, R. Wang, F. Telang, and N. D. Volkow (2009)
PNAS 106, 9453-9458
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Impulsiveness and Cigarette Smoking.
J. D. Flory and S. B. Manuck (2009)
Psychosom Med 71, 431-437
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Perspectives on Neuroscience and Behavior.
(2008)
Neuroscientist 14, 537-538
   PDF »
A cAMP Pathway Underlying Reward Prediction in Associative Learning.
M. A. Kheirbek, J. A. Beeler, Y. Ishikawa, and X. Zhuang (2008)
J. Neurosci. 28, 11401-11408
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Neural mechanisms underlying the vulnerability to develop compulsive drug-seeking habits and addiction.
B. J Everitt, D. Belin, D. Economidou, Y. Pelloux, J. W Dalley, and T. W Robbins (2008)
Phil Trans R Soc B 363, 3125-3135
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)