| Title | Behavioral economic analysis of opioid consumption in heroin-dependent individuals: effects of alternative reinforcer magnitude and post-session drug supply. | | Author(s) | Greenwald MK, Steinmiller CL | | Institution | Substance Abuse Research Division, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, 2761 East Jefferson Ave., Detroit, MI 48207, USA. mgreen@med.wayne.edu | | Source | Drug Alcohol Depend 2009 Sep 1; 104(1-2):84-93. | | MeSH | Adult
Behavior
Choice Behavior
Cross-Over Studies
Double-Blind Method
Female
Heroin Dependence
Humans
Hydromorphone
Individuality
Male
Middle Aged
Motivation
Narcotics
Prospective Studies
Reinforcement (Psychology)
Social Environment
Substance Abuse Detection
Urinalysis
| | Abstract | This study investigated the extent to which hydromorphone (HYD) choice and behavioral economic demand were influenced by HYD unit price (UP), alternative money reinforcement magnitude and post-session HYD supply. Heroin-dependent research volunteers (n=13) stabilized on buprenorphine 8 mg/day first sampled two HYD doses (12 and 24 mg IM, labeled Drug A [session 1] and Drug B [session 2]). In each of the final six sessions, volunteers were given access to a 12-trial choice progressive ratio (PR) task and could earn a HYD unit dose (2 mg, fixed) or money ($2 or $4, varied across sessions), administered immediately after the work session. Before the PR task, volunteers were told which HYD supplemental dose (none, Drug A or B) would be available 3h after receiving the PR-contingent dose. PR-contingent HYD choice significantly decreased when $4 relative to $2 was concurrently available. Information about the post-session HYD supplement moderated this effect: when subjects were told a supplemental dose was available, HYD-seeking behavior decreased when the money alternative was smaller ($2), but this information did not further attenuate HYD choice, which was already low, when the money alternative was higher ($4). HYD demand elasticity was only increased by the $4 relative to $2 alternative without the HYD supplement. In summary, opioid-seeking behavior is influenced by the availability of concurrent non-drug and drug alternatives. These findings show that drug availability and non-drug alternatives interact to modulate drug-seeking behavior. | | Language | eng | | Pub Type(s) | Journal Article
Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
| | PubMed ID | 19464125 |
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