Background: Drug and alcohol abusers develop strong memories for drug-related stimuli. Preclinical studies suggest that such memories are a result of drug actions on reward pathways, which facilitate learning about drug-related stimuli. However, few controlled studies have investigated how drugs affect memory for drug-related stimuli in humans.
Methods: The current study examined the direct effect of alcohol on memory for images of alcohol-related or neutral beverages. Participants received alcohol (0.8 g/kg) either before viewing visual images (encoding condition; n = 20) or immediately after viewing them (consolidation condition; n = 20). A third group received placebo both before and after viewing the images (control condition; n = 19). Memory retrieval was tested exactly 48 hours later, in a drug-free state.
Results: Alcohol impaired memory in the encoding condition and enhanced memory in the consolidation condition, but these effects did not differ for alcohol-related and neutral beverage stimuli. However, in the encoding condition, participants who experienced greater alcohol-induced stimulation exhibited better memory for alcohol-related, but not neutral beverage stimuli.
Conclusions: These findings suggest that individual differences in sensitivity to the positive, rewarding effects of alcohol are associated with greater propensity to remember alcohol-related stimuli encountered while intoxicated. As such, stimulant responders may form stronger memory associations with alcohol-related stimuli, which might then influence their drinking behavior.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4930409 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/acer.13103 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Neuropsychological Abnormalities Associated with Alcohol Dependence During Long-Term Rehabilitation Treatment of German Inpatients.
Brain Sci
November 2024
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LVR-University Hospital Essen, Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Virchowstr. 174, 45147 Essen, Germany.
Background: Alcohol dependence is associated with several neuropsychological abnormalities, such as increased impulsivity or attentional bias towards drug-related stimuli. However, it is debated whether these abnormalities are on the decline after long-term abstinence from alcohol. Inpatient rehabilitation treatment enables the longitudinal investigation of such variables during a long, largely secured, period of abstinence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInteroceptive Processing in Substance Use Disorders (SUDs): From the Neuroanatomy to Insights from Computational Models and Predictive Coding Frameworks.
Curr Top Behav Neurosci
November 2024
Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, USA.
Article Synopsis
- * Dysfunction in interoceptive processing contributes to craving, emotional regulation issues, and decision-making challenges that drive addiction, with areas like the insula being significant in drug use, particularly nicotine.
- * The chapter employs a predictive coding framework to explain how disruptions in the brain's predictions of internal states can lead to compulsive drug-seeking behaviors, suggesting that targeted therapies like neuromodulation and mindfulness can help recalibrate these internal predictions for better treatment outcomes.
Attentional bias in tobacco use disorder using eye tracking: A systematic review.
Drug Alcohol Depend Rep
December 2024
University of Toronto, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Toronto, Canada.
Background: Attentional bias, defined as the disproportionate attentional allocation towards drug-related stimuli, is well-demonstrated in substance use disorders. However, studies investigating attentional bias in tobacco use disorder have revealed inconclusive findings. In recent years, eye-tracking technology has emerged as an innovative technique for exploring attentional bias.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPharmacokinetics and thermal anti-nociceptive effects of oral morphine in horses.
Front Vet Sci
September 2024
Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States.
Article Synopsis
- Morphine is effective for pain relief in horses, but intravenous (IV) use can cause unwanted side effects like neuroexcitation and gastrointestinal issues.
- Oral administration of morphine yields similar pain-relief potential through the metabolite M6G without the negative effects of IV administration.
- The study found that oral morphine doses provided effective pain relief comparable to IV morphine while causing less excitation and gastrointestinal disturbances, indicating the need for further research.
Contribution of hypothalamic orexin (hypocretin) circuits to pathologies of motivation.
Br J Pharmacol
November 2024
School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.
The orexin (also known as hypocretin) system, consisting of neuropeptides orexin-A and orexin-B, was discovered over 25 years ago and was immediately identified as a central regulator of sleep and wakefulness. These peptides interact with two G-protein coupled receptors, orexin 1 (OX) and orexin 2 (OX) receptors which are capable of coupling to all heterotrimeric G-protein subfamilies, but primarily transduce increases in calcium signalling. Orexin neurons are regulated by a variety of transmitter systems and environmental stimuli that signal reward availability, including food and drug related cues.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!