Characterization of a rodent model of impulsivity with implications for drug addiction

Objective

As a chronically relapsing brain disorder drug addiction places a major social and economic burden on society, not least on crime rate and health care provision. It is increasingly accepted that drug addiction results from complex interactions between pre-disposing behavioural variables or traits (e.g. sensation-seeking, impulsiveness), chronic drug exposure and environmental influences including learning experiences. Recently, ‘trait-like’ impulsivity in rats has been reported to be highly predictive of the development of compulsive (or habitual) cocaine-seeking behaviour that persists despite adverse consequences, a hallmark feature of addiction (Dalley et al., 2007; Belin et al., 2008). The proposed research aims to investigate the hypothesis that impulsive rats are more prone to habit-based behaviour than non-impulsive rats, a propensity postulated to depend on the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and impaired processing of contextual (environmental) attributes by the PFC and associated brain regions. The central objective of this research is to better understand the interaction between individual differences in impulsivity and contextual learning experiences and how this interaction facilitates the transition to habitual or compulsive patterns of drug-seeking. Specifically, this research will compare impulsive rats and non-impulsive rats in their sensitivity to outcome devaluation (OD), a test of habit-based learning and the role of the context in this process. This research will also investigate the role of PFC DA in the modulation of context-dependent OD by administering DA as well as selective DA receptor agonists and antagonists directly into the PFC of impulsive and non-impulsive rats. Overall, this research project integrates behavioural theories of learning (Bouton, 2002) with state-of-the-art drug addiction hypothesises (Everitt & Robbins, 2005) to elucidate how innate and environmental factors play a role in maladaptive behaviours relevant to drug addiction.

Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

• Health sciences
• Neuroscience
• animal model
• behaviour
• context
• dopamine
• drug addiction
• goal-directed
• habit-based
• impulsivity
• outcome devaluation
• overtraining
• prefrontal cortex
• striatum

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

• FP7-PEOPLE - Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

• FP7-PEOPLE-IEF-2008 - Marie Curie Action: "Intra-European Fellowships for Career Development"

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

FP7-PEOPLE-IEF-2008
See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

MC-IEF - Intra-European Fellowships (IEF)

Coordinator