Addiction
An Overview
AMANDA J. ROBERTS, PH.D., AND GEORGE F. KOOB, PH.D.
Addiction can be defined in part as a compulsion to use alcohol or other drugs and
the occurrence of withdrawal symptoms when long-term consumption ceases. In
addition to physical symptoms related to nervous system hyperexcitability,
withdrawal includes changes in mental state that may motivate renewed AOD
consumption. The manifestations of addiction are associated with changes in nerve
cell function by which the brain attempts to adapt to a drugs presence. These
functional changes modulate a persons initial response to a drug, the establishment
of long-term craving for the drug (i.e., addiction), and the persistent sense of
discomfort that leads to relapse after abstinence has been achieved. Research is
beginning to reveal how specific brain regions may be integrated to form neural
circuits that modulate aspects of addiction. KEY WORDS: AOD dependence; compulsion;
AOD withdrawal syndrome; AOD craving; positive reinforcement; AODD (alcohol and other
drug disorders) relapse; AOD abstinence; neurobiological theory; neurotransmitters;
neurotransmission; AOD sensitivity; biological adaptation; brain; dopamine; nucleus
accumbens; literature review
Research over the past two decades of neural connections involving sev-
A
ddiction can be defined from a
behavioral viewpoint as repeat- has increased our understanding of the eral adjacent brain regions. This arti-
ed self-administration of alco- neural processes that underlie drug- cle is not an exhaustive overview, but
hol or other drugs (AODs) despite seeking behavior. This article summa- a sampling of some topics of interest
knowledge of adverse medical and rizes some of the molecular and to researchers studying addiction
social consequences and attempts to cellular events in the brain that appear neurobiology.
abstain from AOD use. Typically, an to be associated with addiction. The
article first discusses some observable AMANDA J. ROBERTS, PH.D., is a
addicted persons daily activities are
manifestations of addiction and basic research associate in the Department
centered on obtaining and consuming of Neuropharmacology, The Scripps
mechanisms involved in initiating and
the drug at the expense of social and Research Institute, La Jolla, California.
maintaining addictive behavior. The
occupational commitments. Many hypothesized roles of various chemical
factors contribute to the development GEORGE F. KOOB, PH.D., is a
communication systems of the brain professor and director of the Division
of addiction. A persons initial deci- (i.e., neurotransmitters and receptors) of Psychopharmacology, Department
sion to use a drug is influenced by are explored, followed by a discussion of Neuropharmacology, The Scripps
genetic, psychosocial, and environ- of the interactions between these sys- Research Institute, La Jolla, Califor-
mental factors. Once it has entered the tems within brain regions thought to nia, and adjunct professor in the
body, however, the drug can promote be involved in addiction. Departments of Psychology and
continued drug-seeking behavior by Finally, the article discusses the Psychiatry, University of California.
acting directly on the brain. suggested role of an integrated system San Diego, California.
Neuroadaptation
Although the positive reinforcing
effects of drugs are critical for estab- A Alcohol
B
lishing addictive behavior, both posi- Water
Computer Stimulator
tive and negative reinforcing effects interface
are probably important for maintain- Computer
interface
ing drug use following the develop-
ment of addiction. Neuroadaptive Lever
changes that occur with chronic drug
use lead to increased positive and
negative reinforcing effects. Thus, as Rotating
mentioned previously, neuroadapta- Wheel
tion is a modulatory process that can Fluid
receptacle
lead to increased reinforcement with
repeated AOD exposure. C
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Sensitization is an increased re-
Dr
Sa
sponse to a drug effect following re-
peated administration of the drug.
Sensitization of drug effects that sup-
port further intake (such as the motiva-
tional state of wanting or craving Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 (test)
and/or the physiological state of arousal)
may contribute to the process of addic-
tion. A recent conceptualization of the Animal behavioral paradigms used to explore the positive and negative reinforcing
role of sensitization in drug depen- actions of alcohol and other drugs. (A) Oral alcohol self-administration paradigm, in
dence posits that a motivational state which the animal is trained to press a lever to obtain alcohol instead of water. Rats
described as wanting is progressively will readily self-administer enough alcohol in daily 30-minute sessions to become
mildly intoxicated. (B) Intracranial self-stimulation paradigm, in which the animal is
increased by repeated exposure to drugs
trained to spin a wheel to receive a current through electrodes implanted in the
of abuse (Robinson and Berridge brain. (C) Place-conditioning paradigm, in which injection of a drug is paired
1993). As wanting increases across repeatedly with one environment and injection of a nondrug control solution (e.g.,
repeated AOD exposures, the likeli- saline) is paired repeatedly with a different environment. The animal subsequently is
hood of relapse following periods of allowed access to both environments in the drug-free state, and the amount of time
abstinence may increase, ultimately spent in each environment is recorded. A greater amount of time spent in the drug-
leading to compulsive drug use. paired environment indicates a positively reinforcing drug effect.
Counteradaptation refers to pro-
cesses that are initiated to counter the
acute effects of drugs. For example, released and subsequently bound by The general reward circuitry of the
tolerance is the reduction in a drugs receptive elements on neurons. This brain centers around connections be-
effect after repeated use of the drug. process leads to a cascade of intracellu- tween the ventral tegmental area and the
Tolerance to the desired effect of an lar events that changes the excitability basal forebrain (which includes the
AOD could stimulate increased AOD of the cell and ultimately alters neu- nucleus accumbens, olfactory tubercle,
use in an attempt to re-experience the ronal circuit activity. A circuit can be frontal cortex, and amygdala). An im-
intensity of the drugs initial effect. defined as a group of connected neu- portant component of this system in-
Withdrawal is another counteradap- rons that pass information related to a volves the transmitter dopamine;
tive process. In this case, the processes specific function. AODs hypothetically however, opioid, serotonin, and gamma-
initiated to counter acute AOD effects possess acute positive reinforcing ef- aminobutyric (GABA) systems are also
are expressed when the drug is removed; fects because of their interactions with involved. Evidence for a role of these
thus the symptoms are often opposite in individual transmitter systems within systems in AOD addiction is discussed
nature to the original drug effects. the general reward circuitry of the in the sections that follow. This discus-
brain. The intracellular events elicited sion is not exhaustive, however: Other
by AODs can lead to changes in many systems besides those discussed may
NEURAL CIRCUITRY OF ACUTE other neural processes, including those play crucial roles in drug addiction
DRUG REINFORCEMENT that trigger the long-term AOD effects processes. Moreover, individual systems
which eventually lead to tolerance, interact with one another in complex
Information is passed between neurons dependence, withdrawal, sensitization ways that are beyond the scope of this
by chemical transmitters, which are and, ultimately, addiction. overview.
For example, stress hormones released drawal is associated with increased EXTENDED AMYGDALA:
by the adrenal cortex (i.e., corticos- levels of CRF in this brain region INTEGRATIVE CONCEPT
teroids) have been implicated in the (Merlo-Pich et al. 1995). Altered corti-
increased locomotor response ob- costeroid activity also has been associat- Although the mesolimbic dopamine
served in mice following repeated ed with both alcohol and benzodiazepine system is clearly important in drug
administration of low doses of alcohol withdrawal. In mice, administration of addiction, its activity alone does not
(Roberts et al. 1995). corticosteroids exacerbated withdrawal appear to account for the diversity of
Excitatory neurotransmitter sys- convulsions, whereas a steroid synthesis drug-reinforcement processes. Recent
tems also may represent a source of inhibitor diminished them (Roberts and data suggest that the reinforcing
between-systems sensitization for Keith 1995). actions of AODs may involve a neu-
AODs. The major excitatory neuro- ral circuit within the basal forebrain,
transmitter in the brain is glutamate. termed the extended amygdala
Administration of an antagonist of a PROTRACTED ABSTINENCE (Heimer and Alheid 1991). The ex-
specific glutamate receptor subtype AND RELAPSE tended amygdala comprises several
can block the development of sensiti- basal forebrain structuresfor exam-
zation to psychomotor stimulants, Perturbations in AOD reward pathways ple, the medial part of the nucleus
suggesting a role for brain glutamate persisting after the acute withdrawal accumbens and the centromedial
systems in sensitization (Wise 1988). phase may promote vulnerability to amygdala. The extensive connections
relapse of drug-taking behavior. The of this system to and from brain
scarcity of relevant animal models regions that are critical in various
Counteradaptation limits the study of the neurobiology aspects of reinforcement support a
Repeated AOD exposure also can lead of relapse. In one study, cocaine was role for the extended amygdala as the
to adaptations in the reward circuitry withheld from animals trained to lever overall reward center of the brain.
that oppose and neutralize a drugs press for cocaine until the lever- The extended amygdala may regu-
effects (i.e., counteradaptation). The pressing behavior was extinguished. late the acute reinforcing actions of
persistence of these opposing effects The rats were then treated with drugs AODs as well as neuroadaptations
after a drug has left the body may that activate the mesolimbic dopamine associated with addiction. Actions of
produce the motivational withdrawal system and a rapid reinstatement of the drugs of abuse on components of
response that possibly contributes to lever-pressing for cocaine was ob- the extended amygdala are described
renewed drug use. As with sensitiza- served. (Stewart and deWit 1987). above. Additional evidence includes
tion, both within- and between-system Acamprosate, a medication that may the observation that acute administra-
adaptations appear to underlie counter- modify glutamate action, is being mar- tion of AODs produces increases in
adaptation. Researchers have found keted in Europe to prevent relapse in extracellular levels of dopamine in the
decreased levels of dopamine in the alcoholics. This drug has been shown to medial nucleus accumbens (Pontieri et
nucleus accumbens during withdrawal block the increase in drinking observed al. 1995). Also, neurons in the medial
from cocaine, opiates, and alcohol (Di in rodents after forced abstinence nucleus accumbens contain high levels
Chiara and North 1992; Rossetti et al. (Spanagel et al. 1996; Heyser et al. in of dopamine D1 and D3 receptor sub-
1992; Weiss et al. 1993); these results press ). Similarly, opioid antagonists types. Furthermore, the central nucleus
are opposite to those produced by can prevent animals increased alcohol of the amygdala appears to be impor-
acute exposure to these drugs. In addi- consumption caused by exposure to tant in acute alcohol reinforcement, as
tion, GABA transmission decreases stress and have shown some success in microinjection of GABA or opioid
and glutamate transmission increases preventing relapse in detoxified human peptide antagonists into this brain
during alcohol withdrawal, again re- alcoholics (OMalley et al. 1992; region diminish lever pressing to ob-
flecting the opposite effects of acute Volpicelli et al. 1992). Finally, a recent tain alcohol (Hyttia and Koob 1995).
exposure (Koob et al. 1994). study has found that agonists of a spe- Even more intriguing is the possibili-
As is the case with sensitization, the cific dopamine receptor subtype (i.e., ty of a role for the extended amygdala in
brain CRF systems and HPA axis may the D1 receptor) can prevent relapse counteradaptive processes associated
represent a between-systems source of in abstinent rats previously trained to with chronic drug exposure. A recent
counteradaptation. Rats exhibit a stress- press a lever to obtain cocaine (Self et observation showed that microinjections
like response when repeated administra- al. 1996). Although these studies sug- of a GABA agonist into the central
tion of cocaine, opiates, or alcohol is gest a role for dopamine, opioid, and nucleus of the amygdala in alcohol-
terminated. In addition, alcohol-with- glutamate systems in protracted absti- dependent rats decreased alcohol self-
drawalinduced increases in anxietylike nence and relapse, additional research administration, whereas this treatment
responses in rats were reversed by mi- using animal models is needed to pro- had no effect in non-alcoholdependent
croinjection of a CRF antagonist into vide a better understanding of the neu- animals (Roberts et al. 1996). These
the central nucleus of the amygdala robiological mechanisms underlying results suggest that the GABA system is
(Koob et al. 1994), and alcohol with- the role of these systems in addiction. altered significantly during the course of