There is growing evidence that mere exposure to drugs can induce long-term alterations in
the neural systems that mediate reward processing, motivation, and behavioral control …

The incentive sensitization theory of addiction posits that repeated exposure to drugs of
abuse, like cocaine, can lead to long‐term adaptations in the neural circuits that support …

Cocaine addiction is often characterized by a rigid pattern of behavior in which cocaine
users continue seeking and taking drug despite negative consequences associated with its …

BACKGROUND: In addicts drug cues attract attention, elicit approach, and motivate drug-
seeking and drug-taking behavior, and addicts find it difficult to resist such cues. In …

Rationale Cues associated with rewards bias attention towards them and can motivate drug-
seeking and drug-taking behavior. There is, however, considerable individual variation in …

Cues in the environment associated with drug use draw the attention of addicts, elicit
approach, and motivate drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior, making abstinence difficult …

It has been proposed that compulsive drug seeking reflects an underlying dysregulation in
adaptive behavior that favors habitual (automatic and inflexible) over goal-directed …

Sensitivity to cocaine and its associated stimuli (“cues”) are important factors in the
development and maintenance of addiction. Rodent studies suggest that this sensitivity is …

Incentive motivation theory ascribes a critical role to reward-associated stimuli in the
generation and maintenance of goal-directed behavior. Repeated psychomotor stimulant …

When a discrete cue (a “sign”) is presented repeatedly in anticipation of a food reward the
cue can become imbued with incentive salience, leading some animals to approach and …