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Incubation of Drug Seeking

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Encyclopedia of Psychopharmacology

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Synonyms

Incubation; Incubation of craving; Incubation of drug craving

Definition

Incubation of drug seeking is a time-dependent increase in drug seeking over a period of protracted abstinence from drug taking.

Current Concepts and State of Knowledge

Recent studies in both laboratory animals and humans indicate that cue-induced drug seeking (craving in humans) increases for a period of weeks to months when the drug is not present. This “incubation” of drug seeking (craving) may be a key factor in the persistence of psychological addiction. Craving, or the subjective report of wanting a drug, is a cardinal feature of addiction and has been added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychiatric Disorders as a criterion in the diagnosis of substance abuse disorder.

Evidence from Animal Models

Incubation of drug seeking in response to cocaine-paired cues was first described in rats by Grimm and colleagues (Grimm et al. 2001). In this study, rats self-administered cocaine 6 h/day...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology and Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Western Washington University, 516 High Street, 98225-9172, Bellingham, WA, USA

    Jeffrey W. Grimm & Edwin Glueck

Authors
  1. Jeffrey W. Grimm
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  2. Edwin Glueck
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jeffrey W. Grimm .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Behavioural Pharmacology, King's College London Institute of Psychiatry P049, London, United Kingdom

    Ian P. Stolerman

  2. Brown Medical School, Butler Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, USA

    Lawrence H. Price

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Grimm, J.W., Glueck, E. (2014). Incubation of Drug Seeking. In: Stolerman, I., Price, L. (eds) Encyclopedia of Psychopharmacology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27772-6_7019-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27772-6_7019-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27772-6

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