Trait Impulsive Choice Predicts Resistance to Extinction and Propensity to Relapse to Cocaine Seeking: A Bidirectional Investigation

Abstract

Despite the strong association between impulsivity and addiction in humans, it is still a matter of debate whether impulsive choice predisposes to, or results from, drug dependence. Furthermore, it is unknown whether treating impulsivity can protect against relapse propensity. Therefore, this study explored the bidirectional relationship between impulsive choice and cocaine taking and seeking in rat behavioral models. In experiment 1, to determine whether impulsive choice predisposes to cocaine taking or seeking, rats were selected based on trait impulsivity in a delayed reward task and subsequently compared on various stages of cocaine self-administration (SA). To examine the consequence of cocaine intake on impulsive choice, impulsivity was monitored once a week throughout various stages of cocaine SA. To determine whether treating impulsive choice can protect against relapse propensity, in experiment 2, impulsive choice was manipulated by pharmacological interventions and cocaine-associated contextual cues. Trait impulsive choice as determined in experiment 1 predicted high extinction resistance and enhanced propensity to context-induced relapse in the cocaine SA model, whereas cocaine intake did not alter impulsive choice. Furthermore, acute changes in impulsive choice were not related to rates of context-induced relapse. Taken together, the current data indicate that trait impulsive choice predicts persistent cocaine seeking during extinction and enhanced propensity to relapse, whereas acute manipulations of impulsive choice had no favorable outcomes on relapse measures. These observations suggest that trait impulsivity can be used as a predictive factor for addiction liability, but treating this impulsivity does not necessarily protect against relapse.

Adolescent Risk Taking, Cocaine Self-Administration, and Striatal Dopamine Signaling

“…Adolescents who display greater impulsivity, risk taking, and sensation seeking display concomitantly greater rates of substance use (Chambers et al, 2003;Spear, 2000), and studies in adult rats show that measures of both impulsive action and impulsive choice predict cocaine SA (Dalley et al, 2007;Perry et al, 2005;Perry et al, 2008). In Experiment 1, risk taking predicted cocaine SA only during the acquisition and not the maintenance period, whereas impulsivity measures are reported to predict acquisition as well as measures of compulsive-like cocaine SA that are more closely linked to addiction (Anker et al, 2009;Belin et al, 2008;Broos et al, 2012;Deroche-Gamonet et al, 2004;Perry et al, 2005;Perry et al, 2008;Vanderschuren and Everitt, 2004). The absence of relationships between risk taking and cocaine intake during maintenance could be due to the fact that SA under such conditions is reportedly not strongly tied to compulsive-like cocaine intake (Belin et al, 2008).…”

The neuroscience of cognitive-motivational styles: Sign- and goal-trackers as animal models.

“…Impaired or biased processing of drug-associated cues constitute a psychological trait in people with addiction disorders (Broos, Diergaarde, Schoffelmeer, Pattij, & De Vries, 2012; Ersche et al, 2011; Field & Cox, 2008; Pitchers, Wood, Skrzynski, Robinson, & Sarter, 2017; Tomasi et al, 2007). Given that STs have been demonstrated to be vulnerable for addiction-like behaviors (see also Kawa, Bentzley, & Robinson, 2016), our initial experiments on the attentional capacities of STs and GTs were guided by the hypothesis that STs exhibit a relatively weak degree of top-down attentional control when compared with GTs, and this relative “deficit” would render them to be inordinately attracted to drug-associated cues.…”

Mechanisms of Individual Differences in Impulsive and Risky Choice in Rats

“…Kirkpatrick, Marshall, and Smith predictor of treatment outcomes (Broos, Diergaarde, Schoffelmeer, Pattij, & DeVries, 2012;Krishnan-Sarin et al, 2007;Yoon et al, 2007) for drug abuse.…”

“…Individual differences in impulsive choice are associated with numerous maladaptive behaviors and disorders such as: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; Barkley, Edwards, Laneri, Fletcher, & Metevia, 2001;Solanto et al, 2001;Sonuga-Barke, 2002;Sonuga-Barke, Taylor, Sembi, & Smith, 1992), pathological gambling (Alessi & Petry, 2003;MacKillop et al, 2011;Reynolds, Ortengren, Richards, & de Wit, 2006), obesity (Davis, Patte, Curtis, & Reid, 2010), and substance abuse (Bickel & Marsch, 2001). Additionally, impulsive choice has also been posited as a primary risk factor (MacKillop et al, 2011;Verdejo-García, Lawrence, & Clark, 2008) and predictor of treatment outcomes (Broos, Diergaarde, Schoffelmeer, Pattij, & DeVries, 2012;Krishnan-Sarin et al, 2007;Yoon et al, 2007) for drug abuse.…”