Addiction.
The development of addiction involves a transition from casual to compulsive patterns of drug use. This transition to addiction is accompanied by many drug-induced changes in the brain and associated changes in psychological functions. In this article we present a critical analysis of the major theoretical explanations of how drug-induced alterations in psychological function might cause a transition to addiction. These include: (a) the traditional hedonic view that drug pleasure and subsequent unpleasant withdrawal symptoms are the chief causes of addiction; (b) the view that addiction is due to aberrant learning, especially the development of strong stimulus-response habits; (c) our incentive-sensitization view, which suggests that sensitization of a neural system that attributes incentive salience causes compulsive motivation or "wanting" to take addictive drugs; and (d) the idea that dysfunction of frontal cortical systems, which normally regulate decision making and inhibitory control over behavior, leads to impaired judgment and impulsivity in addicts.
Robinson
Terry E
TE
Department of Psychology (Biopsychology Program), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1109, USA. ter@umich.edu
Berridge
Kent C
KC
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D003657:Decision Making / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000633:toxicity; D009042:Motivation; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D010990:Pleasure-Pain Principle; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation
D013287:Illicit Drugs