How 10,000 Lever Presses Predict Addiction Risk

Logosofia no Dia a Dia · Jun 4, 2026 · 29m

How do scientists actually measure a drug's addiction potential? This episode dives into the brutal precision of animal self-administration models — where rats press levers thousands of times for a single cocaine dose — and how a single number called the breakpoint maps onto Schedule II versus Schedule IV scheduling decisions. We explore progressive ratio schedules, conditioned place preference, drug discrimination assays, and the regulatory framework under the FDA's 2017 Abuse Potential Guidance. Then we tackle the big question: can the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 replace these animal models…