Pavlovian incentive learning hypothesis

DOPAMINE AND THE ACQUISITION OF DRUG ADDICTION THE PAVLOVIAN INCENTIVE LEARNING HYPOTHESIS 

Consistent with the role of NAc DA in motivation and with the property of addictive drugs to stimulate DA transmission in the Nac, is the idea that drug addiction is a condition of disturbed motivation related to drug-induced stimulation of NAc DA. 

Among existing theories the one that explicitly links the disturbance of motivation to the property of addictive drugs to stimulate DA transmission in the NAc, and in particular in the NAc shell, is the abnormal Pavlovian incentive learning hypothesis of drug 

Another way by which drugs can abnormally affect behavior is by their influence on the acquisition of conditioned properties by associated stimuli. 

We have now completed a series of experiments comparing the response of DA transmission in the NAc shell, core and PFCX to food and morphine-conditioned stimuli (Bassareo, DeLuca and Di Chiara, in preparation). 

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