Extinction of drug cue reactivity in methamphetamine-dependent individuals.
Conditioned responses to drug-related environmental cues (such as craving) play a critical role in relapse to drug use. Animal models demonstrate that repeated exposure to drug-associated cues in the absence of drug administration leads to the extinction of conditioned responses, but the few existing clinical trials focused on extinction of conditioned responses to drug-related cues in drug-dependent individuals show equivocal results. The current study examined drug-related cue reactivity and response extinction in a laboratory setting in methamphetamine-dependent individuals. Methamphetamine cue-elicited craving was extinguished during two sessions of repeated (3) within-session exposures to multi-modal (picture, video, and in-vivo) cues, with no evidence of spontaneous recovery between sessions. A trend was noted for a greater attenuation of response in participants with longer (4-7 day) inter-session intervals. These results indicate that extinction of drug cue conditioned responding occurs in methamphetamine-dependent individuals, offering promise for the development of extinction- based treatment strategies.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, 29425, USA. pricekl@musc.edu
Kimber L
KL
Price
Michael E
ME
Saladin
Nathaniel L
NL
Baker
Bryan K
BK
Tolliver
Stacia M
SM
DeSantis
Aimee L
AL
McRae-Clark
Kathleen T
KT
Brady
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019969:Amphetamine-Related Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D001245:Association Learning; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D003463:Cues; D058999:Drug-Seeking Behavior; D005108:Extinction, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008694:Methamphetamine; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D008694:Methamphetamine