Classical Conditioning Drug Effects Lecture 13 Learning Drugtaking

Classical Conditioning & Drug Effects Lecture 13

Learning & Drug-taking Behavior Learning can be maladaptive l phobias l obsessive/compulsive disorder l Drug-taking behavior n Role of learning in drug-taking l Motivation, acquisition, & maintenance l Operant & Classical conditioning l Same rules as any acquired response ~ n

Associative Learning Operant learning l Attempt to change environment l Controlled by consequences l Acquisition & maintenance n Classical Conditioning (Respondent) l Involuntary behavior l Triggered by external events l Learned “reflexes” l Motivation l Alters drug effects ~ n

Motivation Will expend energy to achieve goal l Approach or Avoidance n What “motivates” behavior? l Physiological responses l Emotional responses l Cognitive response n Involuntary responses l Both innate & learned ~ n

Learning Associations Signal--Important event n Based on reflexes l stimulus response l automatic (involuntary) n After association learned… l signal triggers response ~ n

Reflexive Behavior Unconditional Stimulus (US) l Biologically important l Survival value n Unconditional Response (UR) l Reflexive response l Automatic ~ n

Learned Behavior Conditional stimuli (CS) l Initially neutral l Becomes a signal/cue n Conditional Response (CR) l Learned response l Elicited by CS ~ n

Classical Conditioning CS US TONE FOOD UR SALIVATION

After Classical Conditioning CS only Tone Salivation Conditional Response

CERs & Motivation Emotional component to URs l Associated with contextual cues n CS+ / CS- CER n CERs often motivate behaviors l including drug-taking l Hedonism / Self-medication l Lead to reinforcement ~ n

CER (affect) CS+ Positive Negative CS- Negative Positive Appetitive Aversive US

Drugs & Classical Conditioning Unconditional Stimulus (US) l Drug’s interaction with nervous system n Unconditional Response (UR) l Drug effect(s) n Conditional stimuli (CS) l Cues for administration n Conditional Response (CR) l Homogenic or heterogenic? ~ n

Conditioned Withdrawal Opiate addicts l Naloxone withdrawal n CS: contextual cues l syringe, sounds, location, etc. ~ n

Classical Conditioning: Heroin Addicts Conditional Stimulus Syringe Unconditional Stimulus Naloxone Unconditional Response Withdrawal

Classical Conditioning: Heroin Addicts Conditional Stimulus Syringe Withdrawal Conditional Response

Conditioned Drug Responses Same laws of any learned behavior n Acquisition (CS – US) l Gradual strengthening of CR l Relatively permanent n Extinction (CS – no US) l Gradual weakening of CR l Cues no longer predict drug l Relatively permanent? ~ n

Recovery of Extinguished Response Spontaneous Recovery l just passage of time n Disinhibition l CS in new context n Renewal Effect l Extinction in different context than acquisition n Reacquisition l CR re-established in fewer trials ~ n

What does it all mean? Demonstrate association intact l CR is inhibited n Spontaneous recovery & Disinhibition l Might trigger relapse n Reacquisition l Craving / habit reestablished quickly n Operant conditioning l Same phenomena ~ n