A variety of
models have been created to understand the mechanisms of drug addiction. These
have been separated by what types of behaviors are being observed such as
Positive and Negative Reinforcing Effects, models for Intravenous Drug
Self-Administration, models of relapse and drug-seeking behavior,
reconsolidation of drug cue memories, compulsive and impulsive drug intake and
neuroimaging. While these have been widely used and accepted, their validity
within the field of research has been debated. Validity for these models is
evaluated in three levels: their predictive validity (the predictive
relationship between a manipulation in a model and the effect on the disorder
that is modeled), face validity (how closely the model being used resembles the
disorder being modeled) and construct validity (the theoretical rationale, the
degree to which what is claimed to being measured is effectively
measured).
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Out of the models mentioned, the self-administration model has one of the
highest face validities, considering that it is possible to get virtually any
animal to self-administer the drug, but they can also self-administer other
natural reinforcers such as food or sugar. Within the models of negative
and positive reinforcing effects, paradigms which measure effects of withdrawal
have fair face and predictive validities as they have shown to be predictive of
withdrawal signs in humans. While the intravenous self-administration model is
widely used, it has many issues concerning duration of exposure to new
pharmacotherapeutic agents. It also has other issues that arise regarding
behavioral responses in these paradigms. However, it is argued that some model
the time and energy expended in order to obtain the drug.
For further information see: Berridge, K. C., Robinson, T. E., & Alridge, J. W. (2009). Dissecting components of reward: ‘liking’, ‘wanting’, and learning. Current opinions in pharmacology. 9, 65-73; Heidbreder, C. (2011). Advances in animal models of drug addiction. Current Topics in Behavioral Neuroscience, 7, 213-250; Lenoir, M., Serre, F., Cantin, L., & Ahmed, S. H. (2007). Intense sweetness surpasses cocaine reward. PLoS ONE, 2(8); Lynch, W. J., Nicholson, K. L., Dance, M. E., Morgan, R. W., & Foley, P. L. (2010). Animal models of substance abuse and addiction: Implications for science, animal welfare and society. Comparative Medicine, 60(3), 177-188; Maldonado-Vlaar, C. S. (2015). Animal Models [Powerpoint Presentation]; Meyer, J. S. & Quenzer, L.F. (2013). Psychopharmacology: Drugs, the brain and behavior (2nd ed.). Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates; Self, D. W. (2015). Modification of reward, relapse and mood pathways in cocaine addiction [Powerpoint Presentation]; Vukmir, R. B. (2004). Drug seeking behavior. The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse. 30(3), 551-575; Weiss, F. (2010). Advances in the neuroscience of addiction: Advances in animal models of relapse for addiction research. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press; Wise, R. A. & Koob, G. F. (2014). The development and maintenance of drug addiction. Neuropsychopharmacology, 39, 254-262; American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5. Washington, D.C: American Psychiatric Association.
