The behavioral economics of drug dependence: Towards the consilience of economics and behavioral neuroscience

Abstract

In this chapter, we review the research in this growing field by first discussing the concepts related to price and consumption (demand), its applications to the study of drug consumption and drug seeking, and the impact of other commodities on drug consumption. We then review the discounting of future commodities and events among the addicted, review the most recent research examining the neural correlates of discounting, and describe and review the new theory of addiction that results from that research. We conclude by addressing the next research steps that these advances engender. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2009.