Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-669899f699-qzcqf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-05-02T18:38:28.627Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

9.3 - Drug Use, Addiction, Tolerance, Withdrawal and Relapse

from 9 - Integrated Neurobiology of Specific Syndromes and Treatments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 November 2023

By
Alexandra Hayes  and
Anne Lingford-Hughes
Edited by
Mary-Ellen Lynall ,
Peter B. Jones  and
Stephen M. Stahl
Mary-Ellen Lynall
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Peter B. Jones
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Stephen M. Stahl
Affiliation:
University of California, San Diego
Get access

Summary

Occasional or ‘recreational’ use of drugs of abuse may result in pleasurable effects such as euphoria and reduced anxiety. Regular use leads to dependence and addiction through a series of steps. Initial drug-seeking behaviour and positive reinforcement increase use and cause neural adaptations. Adaptations in key parts of the brain manifest as tolerance, where more drug is required to achieve the same effects, and to withdrawal in the absence of the drug. With repetitive use comes attribution of salience to the drug. Associated environmental items become conditioned stimuli that drive further, repetitive drug-seeking behaviour.

Type
Chapter
Information
Cambridge Textbook of Neuroscience for Psychiatrists , pp. 403 - 409
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Book purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

World Health Organization. International Classification of Diseases, 11th ed. (ICD-11). World Health Organization, 2018.Google Scholar
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed. (DSM-5). American Psychiatric Association, 2013.Google Scholar
Koob, GF, Volkow, ND. Neurobiology of addiction: a neurocircuitry analysis. Lancet Psychiatry 2016; 3(8): 760–73.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Adinoff, B. Neurobiologic processes in drug reward and addiction. Harv Rev Psychiatry 2004; 12(6): 305–320.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Baler, RD, Volkow, ND. Drug addiction: the neurobiology of disrupted self-control. Trends Mol Med 2006; 12(12): 559–566.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Berridge, KC, Kringelbach, ML. Pleasure systems in the brain. Neuron 2015; 86(3): 646–664CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reid, A, Lingford-Hughes, A. Neuropharmacology of addiction. Psychiatry 2006; 5(12): 449–454.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nutt, DJ, Lingford-Hughes, A, Eritzoe, D, Stokes, PR. The dopamine theory of addiction: 40 years of highs and lows. Nat Rev Neurosci 2015; 16(5): 305–312.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Turton, S, Lingford-Hughes, A. Neurobiology and principles of addiction and tolerance. Alcohol Other Drug Disord 2020; 48(12): 749–753.Google Scholar
Koob, GF, Volkow, ND. Neurocircuitry of addiction. Neuropsychopharmacology 2010; 35(1): 217–238.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hoffman, PL, Rabe, CS, Grant, KA et al. Ethanol and the NMDA receptor. Alcohol 1990; 7(3): 229–231.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lingford-Hughes, A, Watson, B, Kalk, N, Reid, A. Neuropharmacology of addiction and how it informs treatment. Br Med Bull 2010; 96(1): 93–110.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lobo, IA, Harris, RA. GABAA receptors and alcohol. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2008; 90(1): 90–94.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nutt, DJ, Nestor, LJ. Addiction (Oxford Psychiatry Library). Oxford University Press, 2018.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×