The objective of this protocol is to use probabilistic reinforcement learning choice tasks and magnetic resonance neuroimaging to demonstrate the impact of problematic opioid use and opioid withdrawal on dynamic decision-making and reveal the neurobehavioral and neurobiological processes underlying abnormal task performance. A second objective is to identify an appropriate dose of intravenous remifentanil for subsequent studies in physically dependent individuals with opioid use disorder.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
12
Participants receive oxycodone or placebo.
Laboratory of Human Behavioral Pharmacology
Lexington, Kentucky, United States
Probabilistic Money vs Money Choice Task
Subjects completed a 300-trial probabilistic concurrent monetary choice task, also known as an n-bandit task (here, n=2 choice options, with unsigned probability reversals every 50 trials). In each trial, subjects chose between two options signaled by blue and green envelopes. When a reward was scheduled for the chosen option, subjects were notified they earned $0.25 USD; task earnings were provided upon session completion. Choice of the high probability option was more likely to be reinforced than the low probability option at a 6:1 ratio, with probabilities summing to 0.3, resulting in a low reinforcement density context. Because choosing the higher probability option is associated with a higher likelihood of receiving a monetary reinforcer, making more high probability choices is considered better performance on the task.
Time frame: Subjects complete the task twice; once under opioid maintained and once under opioid withdrawn conditions during a 16-day inpatient participation. The task takes approximately 20 minutes to complete each time.
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.