The Neurobiology of

Addiction
An Overview
AMANDA J. ROBERTS, PH.D., AND GEORGE F. KOOB, PH.D.
Addiction can be defined in part as a compulsion to use alcohol or other drugs and
the occurrence of withdrawal symptoms when long-term consumption ceases. In
addition to physical symptoms related to nervous system hyperexcitability,
withdrawal includes changes in mental state that may motivate renewed AOD
consumption. The manifestations of addiction are associated with changes in nerve
cell function by which the brain attempts to adapt to a drugs presence. These
functional changes modulate a persons initial response to a drug, the establishment
of long-term craving for the drug (i.e., addiction), and the persistent sense of
discomfort that leads to relapse after abstinence has been achieved. Research is
beginning to reveal how specific brain regions may be integrated to form neural
circuits that modulate aspects of addiction. KEY WORDS: AOD dependence; compulsion;
AOD withdrawal syndrome; AOD craving; positive reinforcement; AODD (alcohol and other
drug disorders) relapse; AOD abstinence; neurobiological theory; neurotransmitters;
neurotransmission; AOD sensitivity; biological adaptation; brain; dopamine; nucleus
accumbens; literature review

ddiction can be defined from a

behavioral viewpoint as repeated self-administration of alcohol or other drugs (AODs) despite
knowledge of adverse medical and
social consequences and attempts to
abstain from AOD use. Typically, an
addicted persons daily activities are
centered on obtaining and consuming
the drug at the expense of social and
occupational commitments. Many
factors contribute to the development
of addiction. A persons initial decision to use a drug is influenced by
genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors. Once it has entered the
body, however, the drug can promote
continued drug-seeking behavior by
acting directly on the brain.
VOL. 21, NO. 2, 1997

Research over the past two decades

has increased our understanding of the
neural processes that underlie drugseeking behavior. This article summarizes some of the molecular and
cellular events in the brain that appear
to be associated with addiction. The
article first discusses some observable
manifestations of addiction and basic
mechanisms involved in initiating and
maintaining addictive behavior. The
hypothesized roles of various chemical
communication systems of the brain
(i.e., neurotransmitters and receptors)
are explored, followed by a discussion
of the interactions between these systems within brain regions thought to
be involved in addiction.
Finally, the article discusses the
suggested role of an integrated system

of neural connections involving several adjacent brain regions. This article is not an exhaustive overview, but
a sampling of some topics of interest
to researchers studying addiction
neurobiology.
AMANDA J. ROBERTS, PH.D., is a
research associate in the Department
of Neuropharmacology, The Scripps
Research Institute, La Jolla, California.
GEORGE F. KOOB, PH.D., is a
professor and director of the Division
of Psychopharmacology, Department
of Neuropharmacology, The Scripps
Research Institute, La Jolla, California, and adjunct professor in the
Departments of Psychology and
Psychiatry, University of California.
San Diego, California.
101

BASIC MECHANISMS
OF ADDICTION
Two characteristics are common to
most definitions of AOD addiction: the
compulsion to use a drug, leading to its
excessive and uncontrolled consumption, and the appearance of a cluster of
symptoms when the drug is withheld
after a period of its continuous consumption (i.e., withdrawal syndrome).
Physiological symptoms of alcohol
withdrawal begin from 6 to 48 hours
after the last drink and include tremors,
elevated blood pressure, increased
heart rate, and seizures. AOD withdrawal also includes changes in mental
state (e.g., anxiety, negative emotional
state, and craving) that may motivate
renewed AOD consumption. These
signs may both precede and outlast the
physiological symptoms. For the purpose of this article, addiction is defined
as a loss of control over AOD use and
the appearance of a withdrawal syndromewith motivational aspects
upon cessation of such use.
Two factors that modulate behaviorreinforcement and neuroadaptationcontribute to the addictive
process. Reinforcement is a theoretical
construct by which a stimulus (e.g., an
unconditioned stimulus, such as the
drug itself or drug withdrawal, or a
conditioned stimulus, such as drugtaking paraphernalia) increases the
probability of a response (e.g., continued use of the drug). Neuroadaptation
refers largely to the processes by which
initial drug effects are either enhanced
(i.e., sensitization) or attenuated (i.e.,
counteradaptation) by repeated AOD
exposure. Drug-related responses (i.e.,
reinforcement) are modulated by the
neuroadaptive changes that occur with
AOD exposure. Working together,
these factors appear to motivate the
initial, short-term (i.e., acute) response
to a drug and the establishment of the
long-term (i.e., chronic) craving for the
drug that characterizes addiction. In
addition, some neuroadaptive changes
may be permanent, producing the
persistent sense of discomfort during
abstinence that leads to reinstatement
of drug use (i.e., relapse).
102

Reinforcement
Several sources of reinforcement may
contribute to addiction. In positive
reinforcement, a rewarding stimulus
(e.g., AOD-induced euphoria) directly
increases the probability of a response
(e.g., continued AOD use). In negative
reinforcement, the incentive for AOD
use is relief of a painful or unpleasant
state (i.e., the physiological and motivational symptoms of withdrawal). In
addition to their direct reinforcing effects, drugs can motivate behavior
indirectly through environmental stimuli with which the drugs have become
associated (i.e., conditioned reinforcement). For example, the locations
where drugs are taken or the paraphernalia used for their administration may
themselves elicit a druglike state of
euphoria in the absence of the drug (i.e.,
conditioned positive reinforcement).
Conversely, exposure to stimuli associated with periods of abstinence may
produce symptoms of withdrawal (i.e.,
conditioned negative reinforcement).
Researchers can examine the reinforcing effects of AODs by measuring
the behavior of animals exposed to
drugs in the laboratory (see figure). A
commonly employed method is direct
self-administration whereby an animal
is either allowed free access to AODs
(e.g., given a bottle containing alcohol
to drink) or required to perform a specific behavior to obtain AODs (e.g.,
trained to press a lever for a small volume of alcohol). Changes in the patterns of self-administration that occur
with long-term AOD exposure or following the experimental manipulation
of a particular neural system may reveal
underlying mechanisms of reinforcement (figure A).
A second behavioral test used to
measure the reinforcing effects of
AODs is intracranial self-stimulation
(ICSS). In this procedure, electrodes
are implanted in the brain of a rat. The
rat is subsequently allowed to press a
lever to receive mild electrical pulses
through the electrodes (figure B).
Animals will self-administer electrical
stimulation to certain brain regions at
extremely high rates, indicating that
such stimulation is reinforcing.

Scientists believe that ICSS directly

activates the brains reward centers,
thus providing a unique tool for investigating reinforcement processes.
AODs appear to make ICSS more
rewarding by decreasing the amount
of current required by the animal to
achieve the same level of reward. This
ability corresponds closely to a drugs
potential for abuse.
A third behavioral paradigm used
to test the reinforcing actions of
AODs is place conditioning (figure
C). In a simple place-conditioning
test, an animal is alternately placed in
two distinct environments, neither of
which initially elicits any apparent
behavioral response (i.e., neutral environments). The animal is conditioned
to associate one of the environments
with the effects of the drug under
study. For example, the animal may
be placed in a dark chamber with a
rough-textured floor after receiving a
drug injection, and placed in a light
chamber with a smooth-textured floor
after receiving an injection of drugfree saline solution. This procedure is
repeated several times. Later, the
animal is allowed to enter and explore
either environment in the absence of
the drug. A greater amount of time
spent in the drug-associated environment appears to reflect positive reinforcing effects of the drug. In the
aforementioned example, a greater
time spent in the dark, rough-textured
environment, compared with the light,
smooth-textured environment, would
suggest that the administered drug had
positive reinforcing effects.
Whereas the acute positive reinforcing effects of drugs may be investigated using these paradigms, negative
reinforcing effects can be examined by
testing animals in the withdrawal or
abstinent state. These paradigms also
can be used to examine conditioned
positive and negative reinforcement.
For example, a rat can be trained to
associate the presentation of alcohol
with a light. The experimenter can then
measure the frequency with which the
rat presses a lever to turn on the light in
the absence of alcohol (i.e., conditioned positive reinforcement).
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Neuroadaptation

NEURAL CIRCUITRY OF ACUTE

DRUG REINFORCEMENT
Information is passed between neurons
by chemical transmitters, which are
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Alcohol
Computer
interface

Water

Stimulator
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interface

Lever

Rotating
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receptacle

Sa
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Although the positive reinforcing

effects of drugs are critical for establishing addictive behavior, both positive and negative reinforcing effects
are probably important for maintaining drug use following the development of addiction. Neuroadaptive
changes that occur with chronic drug
use lead to increased positive and
negative reinforcing effects. Thus, as
mentioned previously, neuroadaptation is a modulatory process that can
lead to increased reinforcement with
repeated AOD exposure.
Sensitization is an increased response to a drug effect following repeated administration of the drug.
Sensitization of drug effects that support further intake (such as the motivational state of wanting or craving
and/or the physiological state of arousal)
may contribute to the process of addiction. A recent conceptualization of the
role of sensitization in drug dependence posits that a motivational state
described as wanting is progressively
increased by repeated exposure to drugs
of abuse (Robinson and Berridge
1993). As wanting increases across
repeated AOD exposures, the likelihood of relapse following periods of
abstinence may increase, ultimately
leading to compulsive drug use.
Counteradaptation refers to processes that are initiated to counter the
acute effects of drugs. For example,
tolerance is the reduction in a drugs
effect after repeated use of the drug.
Tolerance to the desired effect of an
AOD could stimulate increased AOD
use in an attempt to re-experience the
intensity of the drugs initial effect.
Withdrawal is another counteradaptive process. In this case, the processes
initiated to counter acute AOD effects
are expressed when the drug is removed;
thus the symptoms are often opposite in
nature to the original drug effects.

Phase 1

Phase 2

?
Phase 3 (test)

Animal behavioral paradigms used to explore the positive and negative reinforcing
actions of alcohol and other drugs. (A) Oral alcohol self-administration paradigm, in
which the animal is trained to press a lever to obtain alcohol instead of water. Rats
will readily self-administer enough alcohol in daily 30-minute sessions to become
mildly intoxicated. (B) Intracranial self-stimulation paradigm, in which the animal is
trained to spin a wheel to receive a current through electrodes implanted in the
brain. (C) Place-conditioning paradigm, in which injection of a drug is paired
repeatedly with one environment and injection of a nondrug control solution (e.g.,
saline) is paired repeatedly with a different environment. The animal subsequently is
allowed access to both environments in the drug-free state, and the amount of time
spent in each environment is recorded. A greater amount of time spent in the drugpaired environment indicates a positively reinforcing drug effect.

released and subsequently bound by

receptive elements on neurons. This
process leads to a cascade of intracellular events that changes the excitability
of the cell and ultimately alters neuronal circuit activity. A circuit can be
defined as a group of connected neurons that pass information related to a
specific function. AODs hypothetically
possess acute positive reinforcing effects because of their interactions with
individual transmitter systems within
the general reward circuitry of the
brain. The intracellular events elicited
by AODs can lead to changes in many
other neural processes, including those
that trigger the long-term AOD effects
which eventually lead to tolerance,
dependence, withdrawal, sensitization
and, ultimately, addiction.

The general reward circuitry of the

brain centers around connections between the ventral tegmental area and the
basal forebrain (which includes the
nucleus accumbens, olfactory tubercle,
frontal cortex, and amygdala). An important component of this system involves the transmitter dopamine;
however, opioid, serotonin, and gammaaminobutyric (GABA) systems are also
involved. Evidence for a role of these
systems in AOD addiction is discussed
in the sections that follow. This discussion is not exhaustive, however: Other
systems besides those discussed may
play crucial roles in drug addiction
processes. Moreover, individual systems
interact with one another in complex
ways that are beyond the scope of this
overview.
103

Dopamine Systems
The mesolimbic dopamine system connecting the ventral tegmental area and the
basal forebrain appears to be critical to
the self-administration of psychomotor
stimulants (i.e., cocaine and amphetamine) (Koob 1992). The cell bodies of
this dopamine system originate in the
ventral tegmental area and send projections to the nucleus accumbens and basal
forebrain, transmitting information to the
dopamine receptors in these brain areas.
This system also is important, but perhaps not critical, for reinforcement of
opiate, nicotine, and alcohol use (Koob
1992; Pich et al. 1997). For example,
alcohol consumption increases dopamine
release in the nucleus accumbens from
ventral tegmental neurons, and dopamine
receptor antagonists1 reduce lever pressing for alcohol in rats. However, virtually
complete destruction of dopamine nerve
terminals in the nucleus accumbens failed
to alter lever pressing for alcohol.

Opioid Systems
Endogenous opioids are morphinelike
neurotransmitters. Considerable evidence shows that the endogenous opioid
systems have roles in the positive reinforcing effects of opiates (e.g., heroin).
For example, Ettenberg and colleagues
(1982) administered an opioid antagonist to rats previously trained to selfadminister heroin. The animals reacted
to this treatment by increasing their
heroin intake, suggesting an attempt to
compensate for the decreased efficiency
of opioid neurotransmission.
The opioid system also appears to
be important for the reinforcing effects
of both alcohol and nicotine. For example, the opiate receptor antagonists
naloxone and naltrexone reduce both
alcohol and nicotine reinforcement in
several animal models. Naltrexone has
also shown success in decreasing alcohol consumption, frequency of relapse,
and craving for alcohol in humans
(OMalley et al. 1992; Volpicelli et al.
1992). These data suggest that interac1

For a definition of this and other technical

terms used in this article, see central glossary,
pp. 177179.

104

tions between mesolimbic dopamine

and opioid systems are important in
the addictive process. (For review, see
Koob and Nestler in press.)

Serotonin Systems
The neurotransmitter serotonin helps
regulate such functions as bodily
rhythms, appetite, sexual behavior, and
emotional states. Evidence indicates that
serotonin systems are important in alcohol consumption. For example, increasing the level of serotonin in synapses or
blocking certain serotonin receptor
subtypes can decrease alcohol consumption (LeMarquand et al. 1994a, 1994b).
Serotonin systems also may be important in the acute reinforcing effects of
drugs other than alcohol. For example,
although reinforcement of cocaine use is
attributed primarily to the dopamine
system, cocaine strongly inhibits removal of serotonin from synapses,
thereby facilitating increased binding of
serotonin to its receptors (White and
Wolf 1991). Antagonism of a specific
serotonin receptor (i.e., 5-HT2) appears
to decrease consumption of cocaine by
rats (McMillen et al. 1993), and experimental activation of the serotonin 5-HT1B
receptor increases reinforcement by
dopamine (Parsons et al. 1996).

GABA Systems
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is
the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter
in the brain. Sedative-hypnotic drugs
including alcohol, benzodiazepines (e.g.,
Valium), and barbiturates have long
been hypothesized to modulate receptors in GABA systems. Supporting this
concept, experimental drugs that decrease the function of GABA receptors
reduce alcohol consumption by rats.
Microinjections of GABA antagonists
into various rat brain regions suggest
that an important brain area for alcoholGABA interactions is the central nucleus of the amygdala, a structure that
communicates with the basal forebrain
structures and is associated with emotion and stress. (For review, see Deitrich
and Erwin 1996.)

MECHANISMS OF
NEUROADAPTATION
Neuroadaptations in the reward system
accompany the development of addiction and can involve the same systems
underlying acute drug reinforcement
(within-system adaptation) or different
systems (between-systems adaptation).
These changes in the reward circuitry
promote compulsive drug use in part
by increasing a drugs positive (e.g.,
sensitization) and negative (e.g.,
counteradaptation) reinforcing effects.

Sensitization
Repeated administration of stimulants,
opiates, or alcohol can result in sensitization, which appears to be mediated
by the mesolimbic dopamine system
(Wise and Leeb 1993). The process of
sensitization, whereby an enhanced
activation of dopamine function occurs in the mesolimbic system, may
represent a within-systems mechanism
of neuroadaptation. For example,
injections of opiates or amphetamine
directly into the ventral tegmental area
that change the function of the dopamine neurons produce sensitization to
later injections of these drugs in the
periphery (White and Wolf 1991). As
is the case with tolerance, sensitization
may develop to one particular effect of
a drug and not to another.
Another system that may have an
important role in sensitization, representing a between-systems mechanism
of neuroadaptation, involves corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF). This
hormone is released by the hypothalamus and the amygdala in response to
stress. CRF causes the release of additional stress hormones into the bloodstream from the pituitary gland
(located at the base of the brain) and
the adrenal cortex (located atop the
kidneys). This stress-response system
is called the hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis. The amygdala
release may be responsible for behavioral responses to stress. Exposure to a
variety of stressors can promote sensitization to drug effects, and the CRFmediated stress-response system has
been implicated in this sensitization.
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For example, stress hormones released

by the adrenal cortex (i.e., corticosteroids) have been implicated in the
increased locomotor response observed in mice following repeated
administration of low doses of alcohol
(Roberts et al. 1995).
Excitatory neurotransmitter systems also may represent a source of
between-systems sensitization for
AODs. The major excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain is glutamate.
Administration of an antagonist of a
specific glutamate receptor subtype
can block the development of sensitization to psychomotor stimulants,
suggesting a role for brain glutamate
systems in sensitization (Wise 1988).

Counteradaptation
Repeated AOD exposure also can lead
to adaptations in the reward circuitry
that oppose and neutralize a drugs
effects (i.e., counteradaptation). The
persistence of these opposing effects
after a drug has left the body may
produce the motivational withdrawal
response that possibly contributes to
renewed drug use. As with sensitization, both within- and between-system
adaptations appear to underlie counteradaptation. Researchers have found
decreased levels of dopamine in the
nucleus accumbens during withdrawal
from cocaine, opiates, and alcohol (Di
Chiara and North 1992; Rossetti et al.
1992; Weiss et al. 1993); these results
are opposite to those produced by
acute exposure to these drugs. In addition, GABA transmission decreases
and glutamate transmission increases
during alcohol withdrawal, again reflecting the opposite effects of acute
exposure (Koob et al. 1994).
As is the case with sensitization, the
brain CRF systems and HPA axis may
represent a between-systems source of
counteradaptation. Rats exhibit a stresslike response when repeated administration of cocaine, opiates, or alcohol is
terminated. In addition, alcohol-withdrawalinduced increases in anxietylike
responses in rats were reversed by microinjection of a CRF antagonist into
the central nucleus of the amygdala
(Koob et al. 1994), and alcohol withVOL. 21, NO. 2, 1997

drawal is associated with increased

levels of CRF in this brain region
(Merlo-Pich et al. 1995). Altered corticosteroid activity also has been associated with both alcohol and benzodiazepine
withdrawal. In mice, administration of
corticosteroids exacerbated withdrawal
convulsions, whereas a steroid synthesis
inhibitor diminished them (Roberts and
Keith 1995).

PROTRACTED ABSTINENCE
AND RELAPSE
Perturbations in AOD reward pathways
persisting after the acute withdrawal
phase may promote vulnerability to
relapse of drug-taking behavior. The
scarcity of relevant animal models
limits the study of the neurobiology
of relapse. In one study, cocaine was
withheld from animals trained to lever
press for cocaine until the leverpressing behavior was extinguished.
The rats were then treated with drugs
that activate the mesolimbic dopamine
system and a rapid reinstatement of
lever-pressing for cocaine was observed. (Stewart and deWit 1987).
Acamprosate, a medication that may
modify glutamate action, is being marketed in Europe to prevent relapse in
alcoholics. This drug has been shown to
block the increase in drinking observed
in rodents after forced abstinence
(Spanagel et al. 1996; Heyser et al. in
press ). Similarly, opioid antagonists
can prevent animals increased alcohol
consumption caused by exposure to
stress and have shown some success in
preventing relapse in detoxified human
alcoholics (OMalley et al. 1992;
Volpicelli et al. 1992). Finally, a recent
study has found that agonists of a specific dopamine receptor subtype (i.e.,
the D1 receptor) can prevent relapse
in abstinent rats previously trained to
press a lever to obtain cocaine (Self et
al. 1996). Although these studies suggest a role for dopamine, opioid, and
glutamate systems in protracted abstinence and relapse, additional research
using animal models is needed to provide a better understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying
the role of these systems in addiction.

EXTENDED AMYGDALA:
INTEGRATIVE CONCEPT
Although the mesolimbic dopamine
system is clearly important in drug
addiction, its activity alone does not
appear to account for the diversity of
drug-reinforcement processes. Recent
data suggest that the reinforcing
actions of AODs may involve a neural circuit within the basal forebrain,
termed the extended amygdala
(Heimer and Alheid 1991). The extended amygdala comprises several
basal forebrain structuresfor example, the medial part of the nucleus
accumbens and the centromedial
amygdala. The extensive connections
of this system to and from brain
regions that are critical in various
aspects of reinforcement support a
role for the extended amygdala as the
overall reward center of the brain.
The extended amygdala may regulate the acute reinforcing actions of
AODs as well as neuroadaptations
associated with addiction. Actions of
the drugs of abuse on components of
the extended amygdala are described
above. Additional evidence includes
the observation that acute administration of AODs produces increases in
extracellular levels of dopamine in the
medial nucleus accumbens (Pontieri et
al. 1995). Also, neurons in the medial
nucleus accumbens contain high levels
of dopamine D1 and D3 receptor subtypes. Furthermore, the central nucleus
of the amygdala appears to be important in acute alcohol reinforcement, as
microinjection of GABA or opioid
peptide antagonists into this brain
region diminish lever pressing to obtain alcohol (Hyttia and Koob 1995).
Even more intriguing is the possibility of a role for the extended amygdala in
counteradaptive processes associated
with chronic drug exposure. A recent
observation showed that microinjections
of a GABA agonist into the central
nucleus of the amygdala in alcoholdependent rats decreased alcohol selfadministration, whereas this treatment
had no effect in non-alcoholdependent
animals (Roberts et al. 1996). These
results suggest that the GABA system is
altered significantly during the course of
105

dependence. In addition, the interaction

of CRF systems with alcohol withdrawal appears to involve the central nucleus
of the amygdala (Koob et al. 1994).
Thus, the extended amygdala may be
involved in both acute AOD actions and
various motivational aspects of addiction (Koob and Bloom 1988).

CONCLUSION
The functional role of neurotransmitter systems and their integration into
circuits contributing to addictive behavior are beginning to be elucidated.
A focus is developing on a brain reward circuit that links the mesolimbic
dopamine system and amygdala and
on the neuroadaptive changes in neurotransmission that occur with chronic
drug administration. Researchers also
are investigating the genetic and environmental factors that may act on this
circuit to influence individual differences in susceptibility to addiction.
The resulting knowledge will enhance
our understanding of the neurobiology
of addiction and aid in the development of treatment therapies.

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