Classical Conditioning & Drug Effects Lecture 13

Learning & Drug-taking Behavior n 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 ~

Associative Learning n 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 ~

Motivation n 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 ~

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

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

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

CS USUR Classical Conditioning FOODSALIVATIONTONE

Conditional Response Tone Salivation CS only After Classical Conditioning

n 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 ~ CERs & Motivation

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

Drugs & Classical Conditioning n 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? ~

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

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

Syringe Withdrawal Conditional Response Classical Conditioning: Heroin Addicts Conditional Stimulus

Conditioned Drug Responses n 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? ~

Recovery of Extinguished Response n 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 ~

What does it all mean? n 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 ~