Relapse
For example, multiple sclerosis and malaria often exhibit peaks of activity and sometimes very long periods of dormancy, followed by relapse or recrudescence.
In psychiatry, relapse or reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior, is the recurrence of pathological drug use, self harm or other symptoms after a period of recovery.
It has also been noted that D2 receptors may return to the level existing prior to drug exposure during long periods of abstinence, a fact which may have implications in relapse treatment.
[3] These cues may lead to a strong desire or intention to use the drug, a feeling termed craving by Abraham Wikler in 1948.
[5] Drug-priming is exposing the abstinent user to the addictive substances, which will induce reinstatement of the drug-seeking behavior and drug self-administration.
Medications can normalize the long-term changes that occur in the brain and nervous system as a result of prolonged drug use.
It is important to address any deficits in coping skills, to identify the needs that likely induce drug-seeking, and to develop another way to meet them.
[13] Most studies are performed on rodents or non-human primates with the latter being most comparable to humans in pharmacokinetics, anatomy of the prefrontal cortex, social behavior, and life span.
[14] Other advantages to studying relapse in non-human primates include the ability of the animal to reinstate self-administration, and to learn complex behaviors in order to obtain the drug.
[3] To self-administer the drug of interest the animal is implanted with an intravenous catheter and seated in a primate chair equipped with a response lever.
For example, if the animal receives an injection of the drug in question it will likely begin working on the operant task for which it was previously reinforced.
[3] Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is widely used in human subjects because it has much higher resolution and eliminates exposure to radiation.
[14] Although the reinstatement protocols are used frequently in laboratory settings there are some limitations to the validity of the procedures as a model of craving and relapse in humans.
Further research into other manipulations or reinforcements that could limit drug-taking in non-human primates would be extremely beneficial to the field.
Anxiety, irritability, and depression, three symptoms of both withdrawal and the human menstrual cycle, are most severe in the luteal phase.
Further, the drug-primed response is decreased during the luteal phase suggesting a time in the cycle during which the urge to continue use may be reduced.
These findings implicate a cyclic, hormone-based timing for quitting an addictive substance and preparing for magnified symptoms of withdrawal or susceptibility to relapse.
