Assessing Cocaine Motivational Value: Comparison of Brain Reactivity Bias Toward Cocaine Cues and Cocaine Demand

Authors

Heather E Webber
Jin H Yoon
Constanza de Dios
Robert Suchting
Vincent Dang
Francesco Versace
Charles E Green
Margaret C Wardle
Scott D Lane
Joy M Schmitz

Publication Date

8-1-2023

Journal

Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology

Abstract

The behavioral economic measure drug demand and the neural measure late positive potential (LPP) are two measures of motivational value that have been associated with drug relapse risk and treatment outcomes. Despite having overlapping themes, no studies have directly compared drug demand and LPP. Participants (N = 59) included treatment-seeking individuals with cocaine use disorder that had completed both a baseline cocaine demand task and an electroencephalogram (EEG) picture-viewing task of drug-related and pleasant picture cues. Associations between the LPP difference score amplitude (drug-pleasant) and five demand indices (Q₀, essential value [EV], Omax, Pmax, and breakpoint [BP]) were evaluated via Bayesian generalized linear modeling. Positive associations (posterior probabilities ≥ 75%) were found between LPP amplitude and four demand indices (Q₀, EV, Omax, BP). These results suggest that individuals who attach greater relevance to cocaine cues also exhibit greater valuation of cocaine reward. Implications for incorporating methodology from behavioral science and brain imaging are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Keywords

Humans, Cocaine, Cocaine-Related Disorders, Cues, Bayes Theorem, Brain, drug demand, late positive potential, motivational value, cocaine use disorder, electrophysiology

Comments

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02896712.

Supplementary Materials

PMID: 36480395