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Updated: Jun 10, 2026
07:47
Measuring Delay Discounting in Humans Using an Adjusting Amount Task
Published on: January 9, 2016
Self-administered cocaine causes long-lasting increases in impulsive choice in a delay discounting task
Ian A Mendez1, Nicholas W Simon, Nigel Hart
1Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, USA.
Behavioral Neuroscience
|August 11, 2010
Summary
Cocaine self-administration in rats led to increased impulsive choice, suggesting long-term effects of cocaine on brain function may contribute to impulsivity in human users.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
- Addiction Research
Background:
- Cocaine use is linked to impulsive choice, but causality is unclear.
- Impulsive choice involves preferring immediate over delayed rewards.
- Distinguishing predisposing factors from drug effects is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if prior cocaine self-administration causes elevated impulsive choice.
- To examine the long-term behavioral effects of cocaine exposure.
- To differentiate cocaine's effect on delay discounting versus probabilistic discounting.
Main Methods:
- Rats self-administered cocaine or saline intravenously for 14 days.
- Following a 3-week withdrawal period, rats performed delay discounting tasks.
- Behavioral choices between immediate small and delayed large rewards were recorded.
Main Results:
- Rats with prior cocaine self-administration showed significantly greater impulsive choice.
- This effect was specific to delay discounting, not probabilistic discounting.
- Indifference points were shorter in the cocaine group, indicating higher impulsivity.
Conclusions:
- Self-administered cocaine can induce lasting increases in impulsive choice.
- These findings suggest cocaine's neurobiological effects contribute to impulsivity.
- Elevated impulsive choice in human cocaine users may stem partly from cocaine's long-term impact.
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