Incentive-sensitization and addiction
Open accessAbstract
The question of addiction concerns the process by which drug-taking behavior, in certain individuals, evolves into compulsive patterns of drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior that take place at the expense of most other activities, and the inability to cease drug-taking, that is, the problem of relapse. In this paper we summarize one view of this process, the "incentive-sensitization" view, which we first proposed in 1993. Four major tenets of the incentive-sensitization view are discussed. These are: (1) potentially addictive drugs share the ability to alter brain organization; (2) the brain systems that are altered include those normally involved in the process of incentive motivation and reward; (3) the critical neuroadaptations for addiction render these brain reward systems hypersensitive ("sensitized") to drugs and drug-associated stimuli; and (4) the brain systems that are sensitized do not mediate the pleasurable or euphoric effects of drugs (drug "liking"), but instead they mediate a subcomponent of reward we have termed incentive salience (drug "wanting").
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Hedonic reward ('liking') may not sensitize over time.
“which may not sensitize over time.”
From A Prospective 5-Year Re-examination of Alcohol Response in Heavy Drinkers Progressing in Alcohol Use Disorder (2016) · cites this paper as [17]
Incentive-sensitization theory specifies that repeated use of a drug produces neuroadaptations that sensitize motivational reward to drugs and associated drug stimuli ('wanting') distinct from the neurocircuitry mediating hedonic reward ('liking').
“The incentive-sensitization theory of addiction(16, 17) also emphasizes sensitization process, but specifies that repeated use of a drug produces neuroadapations that sensitize motivational reward to drugs and associated drug stimuli (i.e.., processes of “wanting”) distinct from the neurocircuitry mediating hedonic reward (liking) which may not sensitize over time.”
From A Prospective 5-Year Re-examination of Alcohol Response in Heavy Drinkers Progressing in Alcohol Use Disorder (2016) · cites this paper as [17]
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References 102 · Cited by 1,435
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- Authors
- Robinson, T. E., & Berridge, K. C.
- Affiliations
- University of Michigan (US)
- Venue
- Addiction
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2001-01
- Volume
- 96
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 103-114
- ISSN
- 0965-2140 (ISSN-L)
- 1360-0443
- OpenAlex
- W2146938761
- Cited by
- 1,435
- References
- 102
- Citations by year
- 2026: 22 · 2025: 34 · 2024: 27 · 2023: 41 · 2022: 44 · 2021: 45 · 2020: 100 · 2019: 62 · 2018: 51 · 2017: 69 · 2016: 71 · 2015: 64 · 2014: 95 · 2013: 74 · 2012: 64
- FWCI
- 14.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Addiction (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Deep Blue (University of Michigan) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Keywords
- incentive-sensitization theory, drug addiction, relapse, incentive salience, incentive motivation, reward systems, neural adaptation, drug-seeking behavior, drug liking
- MeSH terms
- Humans, Models, Psychological, Motivation, Behavior, Addictive, Substance-Related Disorders
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