PSYC 3030:

Neurochemical Basis
of Behaviour
University of Guelph
Dr. Sarah Thackray

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

Introduction
Lecture Objectives
• By the end of this topic, you should be able to
answer the following questions:
• How do people progress into drug use?
• What contributes to compulsive drug seeking and drug
use?
• Why do some people become addicted while others
don t?
• What is the neurobiology of addiction?
What is addiction?

defined as a chronically relapsing disorder,

characterized by compulsion to seek and take the
drug, loss of control in limiting intake, and
emergence of a negative emotional state (e.g.,
dysphoria, anxiety, irritability) when access to the
drug is prevented
Koob and Volkow, 2016, p. 760
Addiction
• Substance-related disorders
• New DSM- category to replace drug addiction
• Covers classes of drugs, all of which act on the reward
circuit

• Substance use disorders: cognitive, behavioural, and

physiological symptoms indicating that the individual
continues using the substance despite significant substance-
related problems

• Substance-induced disorders: reversible substance-specific

syndromes caused by recent ingestion of a substance
How do people progress into drug
use?
• Gateway theory
• Progressing from legal substances to illegal substances

• Changes in amount,
pattern, and
consequences of
drug use
What contributes to compulsive
drug seeking and drug use?
What contributes to compulsive
drug seeking and drug use?
• Positive reinforcement
• Drug reward: the positive subjective experience

• Repeated use leads to physical dependence

• Withdrawal negative reinforcement
What contributes to compulsive
drug seeking and drug use?
• Classical conditioning
• Stimuli paired with the drug produce craving
Why do some people become
addicted hile others don t
• Genetic factors
• Pool of common genes that increase risk
• Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) found in >1% of
sample
• Rare mutations or other genetic anomalies
Why do some people become
addicted hile others don t
• Environmental factors
• Risk factors
• Sociodemographic variables: younger age, less education, lack
of employment
• Conduct problems, substance-using friends
• Stress and inability to cope with stress
• Personality traits
• Familial and sociocultural factors
• Protective factors
• Personality
• Social (including family) life
• Environment
Neurobiology of Addiction
• Reward circuit
• Mediates acute rewarding and reinforcing aspects of drugs

• Antireward circuit
• Puts the brakes on reward

• Prefrontal cortex
• Involved in executive functions

• Corticostriatal circuit
• Involved in habits
Neurobiology of
Addiction
• Neuroadaptations:
changes in brain function
that attempt to
compensate for the
effects of repeated
substance use
• Different proteins respond
in different ways
Neurobiology of
Addiction
• Neuroadaptations:
changes in brain function
that attempt to
compensate for the
effects of repeated
substance use
• Can affect epigenetics
Summary
• There are 2 theories about how people progress into drug
use; one is the gateway theory, the other involves cycles of
preoccupation-anticipation, binge-intoxication, and
withdrawal-negative affect.
• Positive reinforcement is involved with initial drug taking.
With repeated use, withdrawal can lead to drug use through
negative reinforcement. Classical conditioning can also
associate drug cues with drug craving.
• Several risk factors, both genetic and environmental, have
been shown to increase the chance of someone becoming
addicted. Protective factors may reduce the likelihood of
addiction.
• There are several circuits involved in responses to drugs.
Repeated use of a substance leads to neuroadaptations in
these circuits that affects their normal function.