Cocaine users favour images of the drug

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by Change | 20 Nov 2008

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People with cocaine addictions prefer images of the drug to other pictures.

A recent study suggests those with a cocaine addiction opt to see pictures of the substance rather than of other images.

The US Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory's study discovered those without a history of substance abuse of this kind did not have this preference.

Psychology graduate Scott Moeller, who worked on the research, told a Society for Neuroscience annual meeting the effects of cocaine addiction went beyond the immediate and affected things patients related to the substance

He said the study could allow tests to determine how well rehab treatment is progressing.

Mr Moeller commented participants were able to choose between four groups of face-down cards, with each collection holding an image within one of four categories - pleasant, unpleasant, neutral or cocaine-related.

While they claimed their preference was for the 'pleasant' cards, they most frequently chose those related to the drug.

He stated: "Tasks like the ones developed here could be used clinically to predict the effectiveness and outcomes of drug addiction treatment, including abstinence or relapse."

A recent study by the Central Institute of Mental Health has found a genetic marker which occurs more frequently in those experiencing cocaine addiction.

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