Drug addiction and learning are intertwined on at least two levels. The effects of behavioral contingencies (e.g., Pavlovian) on withdrawal, cravings, and motivations for drugs extended the field of learning into that of drug abuse. Contemporary theories that treat drugs as reinforcers, thereby classifying drug abuse as behavior reinforced by its consequences, or in other words, operant behavior, has also bridged drug abuse and learning theory. Thus, the conceptualization of drug-taking, -seeking, abuse, and addiction in the terms of learning theory has been one of the most significant advances in the fields of drug abuse and experimental psychology. Concurrent with the developments in learning theory, neuroscientists were discovering that the neurophysiological changes that accompany learning appear to be mediated by the mesocorticolimbic pathway, a pathway known for its modulation of the effects of drugs as well. Our understanding of this system's basic evolutionary function, however, is still not well-known. Thus, I propose to explore part of the network that instantiates operant learning, especially circuitry in the nucleus accumbens and amygdaloid complex through NMDA and D 1 receptor activation. The proposed research integrates cannula mapping techniques, pharmacological manipulations and advanced behavioral analysis.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Type
Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F32)
Project #
5F32DA016465-03
Application #
6920020
Study Section
Human Development Research Subcommittee (NIDA)
Program Officer
Babecki, Beth
Project Start
2003-07-01
Project End
2006-06-30
Budget Start
2005-07-01
Budget End
2006-06-30
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2005
Total Cost
$51,548
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Wisconsin Madison
Department
Psychiatry
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
161202122
City
Madison
State
WI
Country
United States
Zip Code
53715
Andrzejewski, Matthew E; Ryals, Curtis (2016) Dissociable hippocampal and amygdalar D1-like receptor contribution to discriminated Pavlovian conditioned approach learning. Behav Brain Res 299:111-21
Andrzejewski, Matthew E; Schochet, Terri L; Feit, Elizabeth C et al. (2011) A comparison of adult and adolescent rat behavior in operant learning, extinction, and behavioral inhibition paradigms. Behav Neurosci 125:93-105
Meredith, Gloria E; Baldo, Brian A; Andrezjewski, Matthew E et al. (2008) The structural basis for mapping behavior onto the ventral striatum and its subdivisions. Brain Struct Funct 213:17-27
Andrzejewski, Matthew E; Ryals, Curtis D; Higgins, Sean et al. (2007) Is extinction the hallmark of operant discrimination? Reinforcement and S(Delta) effects. Behav Processes 74:49-63
Andrzejewski, Matthew E; Spencer, Robert C; Kelley, Ann E (2006) Dissociating ventral and dorsal subicular dopamine D1 receptor involvement in instrumental learning, spontaneous motor behavior, and motivation. Behav Neurosci 120:542-53
Berridge, Craig W; Devilbiss, David M; Andrzejewski, Matthew E et al. (2006) Methylphenidate preferentially increases catecholamine neurotransmission within the prefrontal cortex at low doses that enhance cognitive function. Biol Psychiatry 60:1111-20
Andrzejewski, M E; Spencer, R C; Kelley, A E (2005) Instrumental learning, but not performance, requires dopamine D1-receptor activation in the amygdala. Neuroscience 135:335-45
Andrzejewski, Matthew E; Sadeghian, Kenneth; Kelley, Ann E (2004) Central amygdalar and dorsal striatal NMDA receptor involvement in instrumental learning and spontaneous behavior. Behav Neurosci 118:715-29