TY - JOUR
T1 - Tolerance and sensitization to the effects of cocaine use in humans
T2 - A retrospective study of long-term cocaine users in Philadelphia
AU - Small, A. C.
AU - Kampman, K. M.
AU - Plebani, J.
AU - De Jesus Quinn, M.
AU - Peoples, L.
AU - Lynch, K. G.
N1 - Funding Information:
Alexander Small is a first year student at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. He graduated in 2008 with honors from the University of Pennsylvania. While at Pennsylvania, he was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Drug Abuse to pursue cocaine addiction research with Dr. Kyle Kampman at the Treatment Research Center. As a teaching assistant, Alexander also explored the cultural history and effects of addiction for a course on the medical anthropology of alcohol use. This is his first publication.
PY - 2009/12/16
Y1 - 2009/12/16
N2 - In the effort to develop medications to combat addiction, researchers have developed models that attempt to describe the neurobiological process of cocaine dependence. It has not, however, yet been determined which of these models, if any, best fits the behaviors and experiences of patients. This project retrospectively evaluated changes in patients' experiences with cocaine over time in order to clarify the model that best fits clinical observations. In 2005 and 2007, 100 treatment-seeking, long-term cocaine users were recruited from an urban university-based treatment center in Philadelphia, PA, United States. Each participant was administered the "Cocaine History Questionnaire" which asked them to describe the initiation and escalation of their cocaine usage, changing reward perceptions, and effects of intoxication at certain points in their drug use careers. This data was then analyzed using repeated measures, examining the within subject differences in reported information over the time points. We found evidence that while the amount of drug used increases, self-reported euphoria decreases while negative symptoms associated with cocaine use also increase. The data provide preliminary evidence for the hedonic dysregulation model of addiction. Limitations and implications of the study are discussed in the conclusion.
AB - In the effort to develop medications to combat addiction, researchers have developed models that attempt to describe the neurobiological process of cocaine dependence. It has not, however, yet been determined which of these models, if any, best fits the behaviors and experiences of patients. This project retrospectively evaluated changes in patients' experiences with cocaine over time in order to clarify the model that best fits clinical observations. In 2005 and 2007, 100 treatment-seeking, long-term cocaine users were recruited from an urban university-based treatment center in Philadelphia, PA, United States. Each participant was administered the "Cocaine History Questionnaire" which asked them to describe the initiation and escalation of their cocaine usage, changing reward perceptions, and effects of intoxication at certain points in their drug use careers. This data was then analyzed using repeated measures, examining the within subject differences in reported information over the time points. We found evidence that while the amount of drug used increases, self-reported euphoria decreases while negative symptoms associated with cocaine use also increase. The data provide preliminary evidence for the hedonic dysregulation model of addiction. Limitations and implications of the study are discussed in the conclusion.
KW - Addiction
KW - Cocaine
KW - Drug craving
KW - Drug liking
KW - Hedonic dysregulation
KW - Incentive sensitization
KW - Sensitization
KW - Substance use patterns
KW - Tolerance
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U2 - 10.3109/10826080902961179
DO - 10.3109/10826080902961179
M3 - Article
C2 - 20001286
AN - SCOPUS:72849133561
SN - 1082-6084
VL - 44
SP - 1888
EP - 1898
JO - Substance Use and Misuse
JF - Substance Use and Misuse
IS - 13
ER -