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Animal models of addiction
1Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience
|January 6, 2018
Summary
Animal models are vital for psychiatric research, aiding in understanding drug addiction mechanisms and developing new treatments. Their predictive validity is demonstrated by successful alcohol addiction medications.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatric Research
- Neuroscience
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Animal models in psychiatric research face criticism for limited translational value.
- Clinical trial failures are often linked to the lack of predictive power in preclinical models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To argue for the crucial role of animal models in psychiatric research.
- To highlight their utility in identifying pathological mechanisms, drug targets, and aiding drug development.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing animal models of voluntary drug intake (nonoperant and operant conditions).
- Employing addiction models based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria.
- Assuming conserved neurochemical and neuroanatomical substrates between rodents and humans for drug intake behavior.
Main Results:
- Animal models offer excellent face validity for studying drug intake and addiction.
- These models demonstrate predictive validity, crucial for translating findings to human conditions.
- The development of acamprosate, naltrexone, and nalmefene in alcohol research exemplifies successful translation from animal models.
Conclusions:
- Animal models of drug consumption and addiction are indispensable tools in psychiatric research.
- Their established face and predictive validity support their use in mechanism identification and therapeutic development.
- Successful translation, as seen in alcohol addiction pharmacotherapy, underscores the value of these preclinical approaches.
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