The goal of the proposed research is to develop a model of 'cue-reactivity' using a combination of classical conditioning and operant conditioning procedures. Environmental stimuli that have been repeatedly associated with drug and alcohol use elicit physiological and subjective drug-related effects in humans that abuse drugs and alcohol. Reactivity to drug-related stimuli (i.e., cues) is believed to be a function of classical conditioning processes and may play an important role in the development of compulsive alcohol drinking and in the propensity to relapse after periods of abstinence. A new animal model of cue reactivity has been under development in our laboratory in which a constellation of behaviors are reliably increased during presentation of a sequence of environmental stimuli (e.g., lights and tones) that precede the opportunity to consume alcohol, food or a preferred non-alcoholic beverage. These cue-related behaviors include time sensitive patterns of learned instrumental responses and general activity, as well as naturalistic behaviors. The proposed experiments will systematically examine the relationship between reactivity to alcohol-related cues, alcohol-seeking and self- administration. The first series of studies will evaluate whether cue-related behaviors are sensitive to the changes in the magnitude of the reinforcer (i.e., alcohol concentration) and amount of work effort required (i.e., number of lever responses) to obtain alcohol. These studies will also determine if there are differences in the type of behaviors that emerge with repeated drug-cue pairings and across a range of alcohol concentrations and response 'costs'. A second series of studies will evaluate the influence of length of abstinence on alcohol self- administration and reactivity to alcohol-related cues. A third series of studies will evaluate the interactions between environmental alcohol-related cues and the internal cues produced by alcohol itself on the reinstatement and maintenance of self-administration and cue-related behaviors. Acute 'priming' doses of alcohol or environmental cues will be presented under conditions in which alcohol is available for self-administration or withheld (i.e., abstinence). This research will determine whether cue-related behaviors reliably predict alcohol self-administration and reinstatement of drug-taking (i.e., relapse) during abstinence. This research will additionally provide important information on the behavioral processes underlying conditioned responses to drug-related cues in animals which may be relevant to cue-reactivity and drug-taking in humans.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Type
Exploratory/Developmental Grants (R21)
Project #
5R21AA013111-03
Application #
6640783
Study Section
Health Services Research Review Subcommittee (AA)
Program Officer
Egli, Mark
Project Start
2001-06-01
Project End
2006-05-31
Budget Start
2003-06-01
Budget End
2006-05-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2003
Total Cost
$163,500
Indirect Cost
Name
Johns Hopkins University
Department
Psychiatry
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
001910777
City
Baltimore
State
MD
Country
United States
Zip Code
21218
Kaminski, Barbara J; Goodwin, Amy K; Wand, Gary et al. (2008) Dissociation of alcohol-seeking and consumption under a chained schedule of oral alcohol reinforcement in baboons. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 32:1014-22
Weerts, Elise M; Goodwin, Amy K; Kaminski, Barbara J et al. (2006) Environmental cues, alcohol seeking, and consumption in baboons: effects of response requirement and duration of alcohol abstinence. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 30:2026-36