Imbalanced Decision Hierarchy in Addicts Emerging from Drug-Hijacked Dopamine Spiraling Circuit
Figure 4
Blocking effect for natural vs. drug rewards.
The model predicts that blocking occurs for natural rewards (A) and drugs (B), only if the initial training period is “extensive”, such that the first stimulus fully predicts the value of the outcome. After “moderate” training, cognitive levels that are more flexible fully predict the values and thus, block further learning. However, learning is still active in low-level processes when the second training phase (simultaneous presentation of both stimuli) starts. Thus, our model predicts that moderate initial training in a blocking experiment with natural rewards will also result in cognitive/behavioral inconsistency. The data presented in this figure are obtained from “one” simulated animal and thus, no statistical analysis was applicable.