Behavioral pharmacology: Contributions to understanding substance-related and addictive disorders

Abstract

Drug self-administration is a millenary human practice, but its study is historically recent. Several theories seek to elucidate the mechanisms of drug action and how they are influenced by the environment. In this scenario, Behavioral Pharmacology has demonstrated the influence that drugs have on the environmental control of behavior, considering the drug also as an environmental variable. Thus, besides the changes made directly in the organism (drug as an unconditioned stimulus), it can alter the control of other environmental variables (e.g., the discrimination of stimuli, the properties of reinforcements), as well as the drug itself exercising these functions. Thus, research is conducted to understand the behavior of drug self-administration (e.g., Drug-Seeking Model, Incubation Model) in order to elucidate the role of these variables on behavior, as well as to elaborate and analyze the effectiveness of new treatments (e.g., Contingency Management, Community Reinforcement Approach).