Applying Laboratory Research: Drug Anticipation and the Treatment of Drug Addiction

Basic research concerning drug tolerance and withdrawal may inform clinical practice, and vice versa. Three areas that integrate the work of the laboratory and the clinic are discussed: (a) drug overdose, (b) cue exposure treatment of addiction, and (c) pharmacological treatment of withdrawal symptoms. The areas are related in that they indicate the contribution of drug-paired cues to the effects of addictive drugs and the role of Pavlovian conditioning of drug effects in drug tolerance and withdrawal symptoms.