Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology
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Exp Clin Psychopharmacol · Nov 1998
Naloxone blocks reinforcement but not motivation in an operant runway model of heroin-seeking behavior.
The present study examined the effects of opiate receptor antagonism on both the motivation to seek heroin and the reinforcing consequences of heroin administration. Subjects were trained to discriminate between olfactory cues predicting either the delivery of intravenous heroin reinforcement (S+) or saline (S-). ⋯ However, 24 hr later on the first posttreatment trial, subjects that had received heroin in the presence of naloxone (on the previous trial) now traversed the alley more slowly when presented with the S+. These data suggest that although the motivation to seek heroin was not disrupted by naloxone, the reinforcing consequences of heroin administration were.
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Exp Clin Psychopharmacol · Nov 1998
Comparative Study Clinical TrialAdults seeking treatment for marijuana dependence: a comparison with cocaine-dependent treatment seekers.
Sixty-two individuals seeking treatment for marijuana dependence completed a comprehensive assessment. Sociodemographics, substance use, psychosocial functioning, psychiatric symptoms, and medical status were compared with similar data collected from 70 treatment-seeking, cocaine-dependent individuals. ⋯ The marijuana group was more ambivalent and less confident about stopping their marijuana use than the cocaine group was about stopping their cocaine use. These findings indicate that treatment-seeking, marijuana-dependent individuals exhibit substantial problems and that further efforts to develop effective treatments for this population are warranted.