Responsiveness to drug cues and natural rewards in opiate addiction: Associations with later heroin use

Abstract

Context: Although drug cues reliably activate the brain's reward system, studies rarely examine how the processing of drug stimuli compares with natural reinforcers or relates to clinical outcomes. Objectives: To determine hedonic responses to natural and drug reinforcers in long-term heroin users and to examine the utility of these responses in predicting future heroin use. Design: Prospective design examining experiential, expressive, reflex modulation, and cortical/attentional responses to opiate-related and affective stimuli. The opiate- dependent group was reassessed a median of 6 months after testing to determine their level of heroin use during the intervening period. Setting: Communi..