ArticlesThe Influence of Alternative Reinforcers on Cocaine Use and Abuse: A Brief Review
Section snippets
Studies in nonhumans
A study conducted by Nader and Woolverton [13]illustrates the kind of support that is provided for these four generalizations by experimental studies in nonhuman primates responding under controlled laboratory conditions. Subjects were food-deprived rhesus monkeys, each fitted with indwelling venous catheters. Subjects resided in sound-attenuated chambers, each of which was equipped with two response levers, a food pellet dispenser, an infusion pump, and a row of stimulus lights located above
Studies in humans
A study examining the influence of an alternative monetary reinforcer on cocaine self-administration in adult volunteers responding under controlled laboratory conditions illustrates the application of these four generalizations to human behavior [7]. Subjects were four healthy individuals who did not meet diagnostic criteria for cocaine or any other form of drug dependence (except nicotine), but were recent occasional users of cocaine. Drug was administered intranasally in 10-mg unit doses of
Conclusions
The first point to be emphasized regarding the generalizations under discussion in this review is the impressive degree of consistency that exists across species, settings, and experimental arrangements in support of them. As was noted above, such order suggests we are dealing with a fundamental feature of cocaine’s behavioral pharmacology.
Second, the studies reviewed provide compelling evidence that making alternative reinforcers available contingent on forgoing cocaine use can produce
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by research grants RO1DA09378 and RO1DA08076 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2nd General Clinical Research Center Award RR-109 from the National Institutes of Health. I thank Dale Desranleau for her administrative assistance with preparation of this manuscript.
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