Conditioned responses to cocaine-related stimuli in cocaine abuse patients.
Subjects with a history of free-basing and smoking cocaine but no history of opiate injections were exposed to three sets of stimuli. They received cocaine-related stimuli in one session, opiate-related stimuli in a second session, and non-drug stimuli on a third occasion. Compared to the opiate and non-drug cues, the cocaine-related events caused reliable decreases in skin temperature and skin resistance, and reliable increases in heart rate, self-reported cocaine craving, and self-reported cocaine withdrawal. Furthermore, control subjects lacking a history of cocaine or opiate use failed to show such differential responding. These results suggest that cocaine-related stimuli evoke Pavlovian conditioned responses in cocaine abuse patients. Such findings encourage continuing efforts to develop drug treatment strategies based on conditioning principles.
Ehrman
R N
RN
Treatment Research Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104-6178.
Robbins
S J
SJ
Childress
A R
AR
O'Brien
C P
CP
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000187:drug effects; D003042:Cocaine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000187:drug effects*; D003463:Cues; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response / Q000187:drug effects; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D012881:Skin Temperature / Q000187:drug effects; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*
D003042:Cocaine