Cited by 1,225Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorNeural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesSubstance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes

Drug addiction: updating actions to habits to compulsions ten years on

Open access
Everitt, Barry J., Robbins, Trevor W.·2016·Annual Review of Psychology

Abstract

A decade ago, we hypothesized that drug addiction can be viewed as a transition from voluntary, recreational drug use to compulsive drug-seeking habits, neurally underpinned by a transition from prefrontal cortical to striatal control over drug seeking and taking as well as a progression from the ventral to the dorsal striatum. Here, in the light of burgeoning, supportive evidence, we reconsider and elaborate this hypothesis, in particular the refinements in our understanding of ventral and dorsal striatal mechanisms underlying goal-directed and habitual drug seeking, the influence of drug-associated Pavlovian-conditioned stimuli on drug seeking and relapse, and evidence for impairments in top-down prefrontal cortical inhibitory control over this behavior. We further review animal and human studies that have begun to define etiological factors and individual differences in the propensity to become addicted to drugs, leading to the description of addiction endophenotypes, especially for cocaine addiction. We consider the prospect of novel treatments for addiction that promote abstinence from and relapse to drug use.

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Registry

Crossref · 10.1146/annurev-psych-122414-033457

Cites

202 of 202 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Nonmedical use of prescription opioids may be influenced by thoughts and behaviors that become automatized through repetition and encoded in memory schemas.

    “nonmedical use of prescription opioids may also be influenced by thoughts and behaviors that become automatized through repetition and encoded in memory schemas (Everitt & Robbins, 2016; Tiffany, 1990)”

    From To be aware, or to accept, that is the question: Differential roles of awareness of automaticity and pain acceptance in opioid misuse (2023) · cites this paper as Everitt & Robbins, 2016

    The Instrumental Learning and Addiction section says that, after much repetition, stimulus–response habits can dominate and behavior can become autonomous and occur outside conscious awareness. This supports the proposed automatization of drug-related behavior, but the paper does not specifically establish this for nonmedical prescription-opioid use or describe thoughts and behaviors as encoded in memory schemas. (LLM, conf=0.87)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • In addition to moderating effects of general inhibitory control on relationships between cue-reactivity/craving and habitual behaviors, stimuli-specific inhibitory control may act as a mediator in later stages of addictive processes.

    “In addition to the moderating e ff ects of general inhibitory control on relationships between cue-reactivity/craving and the habitual behaviors, we propose that stimuli-speci fi c inhibitory control may act as a mediator in the later stages of addictive processes (Everitt and Robbins, 2016).”

    From The Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model for addictive behaviors: Update, generalization to addictive behaviors beyond internet-use disorders, and specification of the process character of addictive behaviors (2019) · cites this paper as Everitt and Robbins, 2016

    The “ADDICTION AND TOP-DOWN CONTROL” section says inhibitory control may regulate compulsive behavior and that compulsive behavior may be partly habitual. It does not identify stimulus-specific inhibitory control as a mediator, or establish the stated moderating relationship between general inhibitory control, cue-reactivity/craving, and habitual behavior. The mediation claim is framed in the citing sentence as the citing authors’ proposal. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • In later stages of addictive behaviors, stimuli-specific inhibitory control processes may be influenced by craving and urges related to encountering addiction-related stimuli, which may then make it more likely that an individual will behave habitually or seemingly automatically.

    “Thus, in later stages of addictive behaviors (Fig. 2B), stimuli-speci fi c inhibitory control processes may be in fl uenced by craving and urges related to encountering addiction-related stimuli, which may then make it more likely that an individual will behave habitually or seemingly automatically (Everitt and Robbins, 2005, 2013, 2016).”

    From The Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model for addictive behaviors: Update, generalization to addictive behaviors beyond internet-use disorders, and specification of the process character of addictive behaviors (2019) · cites this paper as Everitt and Robbins, 2016

    Split into 2 atoms — 1 confirmed, 1 partially supported, 0 disputed, 0 misattributed, 0 unverifiable. Expand the claim to see per-atom verdicts.

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  • While cue-exposure therapy may not extinguish existing associations, the intensity of experienced craving may be reduced, which is consistent with current neuroimaging findings on the reduction of cue-reactivity due to cue-exposure therapy in abstinent alcohol-dependent individuals, although its effectiveness is discussed controversially.

    “While cue-exposure therapy may not extinguish existing associations, the intensity of experienced craving may be reduced (Pericot-Valverde et al., 2015), which is consistent with current neuroimaging findings on the reduction of cue-reactivity due to cue-exposure therapy in abstinent alcohol-dependent individuals (Vollstädt-Klein et al., 2011), although its effectiveness is discussed controvers”

    From Integrating psychological and neurobiological considerations regarding the development and maintenance of specific Internet-use disorders: An Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model (2016) · cites this paper as Everitt and Robbins, 2016

    Split into 2 atoms — 1 confirmed, 1 partially supported, 0 disputed, 0 misattributed, 0 unverifiable. Expand the claim to see per-atom verdicts.

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  • The addiction process in general involves transitions from more voluntary and impulsive drug consumption to a more habitual or compulsive pattern of use, and within this process, the positive and recreational feelings linked to drug intake may become less important compared to experiencing the direct drug effects.

    “The addiction process in general has been proposed to involve transitions from more voluntary and impulsive drug consumption to a more habitual or compulsive pattern of use, and that within this process, the positive and recreational feelings linked to drug intake may become less important compared to experiencing the direct drug effects (Everitt and Robbins, 2016;Piazza and Deroche-Gamonet, 2013”

    From Integrating psychological and neurobiological considerations regarding the development and maintenance of specific Internet-use disorders: An Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model (2016) · cites this paper as Everitt and Robbins, 2016

    Split into 2 atoms — 1 confirmed, 1 partially supported, 0 disputed, 0 misattributed, 0 unverifiable. Expand the claim to see per-atom verdicts.

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Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. [162]162. Porrino LJ, Hanlon CA, Gill KE, Beveridge TJR. 2010. Parallel studies of neural and cognitive impairment in humans and monkeys. In The Neurobiology of Addiction: New Vistas, ed. TW Robbins, BJ Everitt, DJ Nutt, pp. 241-56. Oxford, UK: Oxford Univ. Press

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Authors
Everitt, B. J., & Robbins, T. W.
Affiliations
University of Cambridge (GB)
Venue
Annual Review of Psychology
Published
2016-01-04
Volume
67
Issue
1
Pages
23-50
ISSN
  • 0066-4308 (ISSN-L)
  • 1545-2085
OpenAlex
W1936785944
Cited by
1,225
References
202
Citations by year
2026: 133 · 2025: 114 · 2024: 106 · 2023: 103 · 2022: 116 · 2021: 147 · 2020: 167 · 2019: 116 · 2018: 84 · 2017: 89 · 2016: 44 · 2015: 6
FWCI
8.96
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Annual Review of Psychology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Medical Research Council (G1002231, G0701497, MR/N02530X/1, G0701500, G0802729)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
Keywords
drug addiction, compulsive drug seeking, ventral striatum, dorsal striatum, prefrontal cortex, relapse, cocaine dependence, addiction treatment, abstinence
MeSH terms
Animals, Brain, Compulsive Behavior, Conditioning, Psychological, Habits, Humans, Substance-Related Disorders, Drug-Seeking Behavior

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