Dissociation of wanting and liking for alcohol in humans: a test of the incentive-sensitisation theory
Dissociation of wanting and liking for alcohol in humans: a test of the incentive-sensitisation theory
Rationale: incentive sensitisation theory (IST) claims that the mechanism of reward is comprised of separate neurobiological systems of wanting and liking, that dependent drug use occurs as a result of sensitisation of the system controlling wanting, and that the two systems can be dissociated.
Objective: to test the IST prediction that wanting and liking for alcohol can be dissociated in humans.
Methods: measures of wanting and liking for alcohol were obtained in three experiments. Experiment 1 examined whether liking for alcohol was associated with levels of wanting, as indexed by self-reported weekly alcohol intake. Experiments 2 and 3 also assessed the association between liking and wanting but in these experiments wanting was also indexed by alcohol consumption in the laboratory. Experiment 2 increased wanting for alcohol using an alcohol priming dose to determine whether liking would be similarly affected. Experiment 3 reduced liking for alcohol by adulterating drinks with Tween to see whether wanting would also be reduced.
Results: little evidence for an association between liking and wanting for alcohol was found in Experiments 1–3 but, collapsing across all experiments, a weak positive correlation between liking and wanting was found. However, in Experiment 2, wanting was increased by the alcohol priming dose whereas liking was not and in Experiment 3 liking was reduced without a concurrent reduction in wanting.
Conclusions: although correlations between wanting and liking can be observed these results support the contention of the IST that wanting and liking for alcohol can be dissociated in human participants.
incentive sensitisation theory, wanting, liking, alcohol, dissociation, addiction
493-499
Hobbs, Malcolm
bd62d78b-bc74-4649-93f1-90a8bdd468e3
Remington, Bob
87f75b79-4207-4b3a-8ad0-a8e4b26c010f
Glautier, Steven
964468b2-3ad7-40cc-b4be-e35c7dee518f
2005
Hobbs, Malcolm
bd62d78b-bc74-4649-93f1-90a8bdd468e3
Remington, Bob
87f75b79-4207-4b3a-8ad0-a8e4b26c010f
Glautier, Steven
964468b2-3ad7-40cc-b4be-e35c7dee518f
Hobbs, Malcolm, Remington, Bob and Glautier, Steven
(2005)
Dissociation of wanting and liking for alcohol in humans: a test of the incentive-sensitisation theory.
Psychopharmacology, 178 (4), .
(doi:10.1007/s00213-004-2026-0).
Abstract
Rationale: incentive sensitisation theory (IST) claims that the mechanism of reward is comprised of separate neurobiological systems of wanting and liking, that dependent drug use occurs as a result of sensitisation of the system controlling wanting, and that the two systems can be dissociated.
Objective: to test the IST prediction that wanting and liking for alcohol can be dissociated in humans.
Methods: measures of wanting and liking for alcohol were obtained in three experiments. Experiment 1 examined whether liking for alcohol was associated with levels of wanting, as indexed by self-reported weekly alcohol intake. Experiments 2 and 3 also assessed the association between liking and wanting but in these experiments wanting was also indexed by alcohol consumption in the laboratory. Experiment 2 increased wanting for alcohol using an alcohol priming dose to determine whether liking would be similarly affected. Experiment 3 reduced liking for alcohol by adulterating drinks with Tween to see whether wanting would also be reduced.
Results: little evidence for an association between liking and wanting for alcohol was found in Experiments 1–3 but, collapsing across all experiments, a weak positive correlation between liking and wanting was found. However, in Experiment 2, wanting was increased by the alcohol priming dose whereas liking was not and in Experiment 3 liking was reduced without a concurrent reduction in wanting.
Conclusions: although correlations between wanting and liking can be observed these results support the contention of the IST that wanting and liking for alcohol can be dissociated in human participants.
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Published date: 2005
Keywords:
incentive sensitisation theory, wanting, liking, alcohol, dissociation, addiction
Organisations:
Psychology
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Local EPrints ID: 141584
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/141584
ISSN: 0033-3158
PURE UUID: 4c5491a0-5a3f-4795-8073-521dff6fcc6c
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Date deposited: 29 Mar 2010 13:43
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:41
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Author:
Malcolm Hobbs
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