Abstract:

Novelty seeking behavioral trait refers to a heritable tendency toward intense exhilaration or excitement when responding to novel stimuli or cues of potential reward, which results in frequent exploratory activity in pursuing potential reward. Extensive studies indicate that high level of novelty seeking behavioral trait is associated with increased susceptibility to drug addiction. Dopamine, serotonin, glutamic acid, γ-aminobutyric acid, cholecystokinin, fibroblast growth factor and corticosterone may be involved in the effect of novelty seeking behavioral trait on susceptibility to drug addiction. In the future, further studies will be focused on neurobiological mechanisms underlying the effect of novelty seeking behavioral trait on susceptibility to drug addiction.

Key words: novelty seeking, drug addiction, sensation seeking, creativity