Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena01:15

Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena

1.0K
Drug dependence, abuse, and addiction are complex phenomena that can precipitate various abnormal states. Physical dependence refers to a state of pharmacological adaptation to a drug. This adaptation often results in tolerance—a reduced response to the drug after repeated administrations. When the drug use is abruptly stopped, withdrawal symptoms occur due to the body's need to readjust from the pharmacologically induced imbalance. However, tolerance and withdrawal symptoms do not...
1.0K
Drug Dependence01:17

Drug Dependence

1.5K
Medications are typically administered to achieve therapeutic effects. Some drugs can modify an individual's mood and perception, frequently resulting in various enjoyable experiences. However, this can result in drug dependency, a condition marked by continuous drug use despite potential negative consequences. Drug dependency primarily falls into two categories: psychological and physical dependence. Psychological dependence occurs when the pleasurable feelings induced by the drug...
1.5K
Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep01:24

Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep

338
Substance use disorders involve a pattern of using drugs more extensively than intended and continuing use despite harmful consequences. This includes legal substances like alcohol and nicotine, as well as illegal drugs. These disorders often involve both physical and psychological dependence, reflecting compulsive use of substances that significantly alter thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, contributing to a major public health issue.
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
338
Operant Conditioning Intervention01:24

Operant Conditioning Intervention

384
Operant conditioning serves as a foundational principle in therapeutic interventions aimed at modifying maladaptive behaviors. Central to this approach is the notion that behaviors, both adaptive and maladaptive, are learned through reinforcement. By analyzing the environmental factors that reinforce problematic behaviors, clinicians can design interventions to weaken these reinforcements and replace maladaptive behaviors with healthier alternatives.
In operant conditioning, behaviors that are...
384
CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine01:27

CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine

909
Ethanol, a clear colorless alcohol, has been consumed by humans for millennia, but its effects on the body are far from benign. At lower doses, it induces decreased inhibitions and loquaciousness, leading to its social appeal. However, it can cause severe consequences at higher doses, such as coma and respiratory depression, due to its zero-order elimination kinetics. Chronic ethanol abuse wreaks havoc on multiple organ systems, particularly the CNS and the liver. Abrupt cessation of ethanol...
909
Desensitization and Tachyphylaxis01:20

Desensitization and Tachyphylaxis

2.9K
Tachyphylaxis is described as a rapid decrease in response to a drug after repeated or continuous administration of the same drug dose. It is a phenomenon where the body becomes less responsive to a particular substance or intervention over time, requiring higher doses or stronger interventions to achieve the same effect. It results from adaptive changes in the body's receptors, signaling pathways, or physiological processes that occur in response to prolonged exposure to a stimulus.
2.9K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Conditioned accumbal dopamine transients forecast individual preference for drug versus natural rewards and compulsive behavior.

Nature neuroscience·2026
Same author

Set-shifting and task-switching make differential contributions to divergent thinking in adolescence.

BMC psychology·2026
Same author

Visual attention is linked to temporally structured noradrenaline release in the medial prefrontal cortex.

Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology·2026
Same author

Social reward outcompetes drug seeking dopaminergic ensembles to prevent relapse.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Distinct modes of dopamine modulation on striatopallidal synaptic transmission.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

From chronic pain to depression: Neurogenesis-driven microglial remodeling in the hippocampal dentate gyrus.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 25, 2025

A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats
06:11

A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats

Published on: February 20, 2019

7.7K

The transition to compulsion in addiction.

Christian Lüscher1,2, Trevor W Robbins3, Barry J Everitt4

  • 1Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. christian.luscher@unige.ch.

Nature Reviews. Neuroscience
|April 2, 2020
PubMed
Summary

Compulsion in addiction develops when habitual behaviors override goal-directed systems and executive control diminishes. Distinguishing compulsive drug seeking from drug taking is key to understanding addiction's neural basis.

More Related Videos

A Procedure to Study Stress-Induced Relapse of Heroin Seeking after Punishment-Imposed Abstinence
08:05

A Procedure to Study Stress-Induced Relapse of Heroin Seeking after Punishment-Imposed Abstinence

Published on: March 23, 2022

2.8K
Comprehensive Analysis of Transcription Dynamics from Brain Samples Following Behavioral Experience
08:14

Comprehensive Analysis of Transcription Dynamics from Brain Samples Following Behavioral Experience

Published on: August 26, 2014

12.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Dec 25, 2025

A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats
06:11

A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats

Published on: February 20, 2019

7.7K
A Procedure to Study Stress-Induced Relapse of Heroin Seeking after Punishment-Imposed Abstinence
08:05

A Procedure to Study Stress-Induced Relapse of Heroin Seeking after Punishment-Imposed Abstinence

Published on: March 23, 2022

2.8K
Comprehensive Analysis of Transcription Dynamics from Brain Samples Following Behavioral Experience
08:14

Comprehensive Analysis of Transcription Dynamics from Brain Samples Following Behavioral Experience

Published on: August 26, 2014

12.0K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Compulsion is a key symptom of severe substance use disorder (addiction).
  • However, compulsive behaviors are present in only a subset of individuals with addiction.
  • Understanding the development of compulsion is crucial for effective addiction treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To integrate neuropharmacological mechanisms and learning theories to explain the development of compulsion in addiction.
  • To differentiate between compulsive drug-seeking and compulsive drug-taking behaviors.
  • To identify potential neural substrates and therapeutic targets for addiction.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review integrating neuropharmacological data with learning theories.
  • Conceptual analysis of compulsive drug-seeking versus drug-taking behaviors.
  • Examination of frontostriatal circuits and executive control in addiction.

Main Results:

  • Compulsive drug-taking may result from an imbalance in frontostriatal circuits encoding reward and aversion.
  • Compulsive drug-seeking may occur when habitual behavior systems dominate goal-directed systems, with reduced executive control.
  • The distinction between seeking and taking behaviors offers insights into addiction's neural underpinnings.

Conclusions:

  • Differentiating compulsive drug-seeking from drug-taking is essential for understanding addiction.
  • This distinction can guide the identification of neural substrates and novel treatment strategies for severe substance use disorder.
  • Further research into these distinct compulsive behaviors may lead to more targeted therapies.