Sensitization to Stress and Psychostimulants

摘要: Rats exposed to chronic stress demonstrate an enhanced motor response psychostimulants, such as cocaine. This behavioral cross-sensitization between (repeated mild footshock) and cocaine (15 mg/kg, ip) is associated with increase in extracellular dopamine the nucleus accumbens, but a decrease prefrontal cortex. To determine role for hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis sensitization, rats were adrenalectomized prior administering repeated injections. One twelve days after discontinuing cocaine, challenged acute Adrenalectomy blocked cocaine-induced sensitization observed sham animals, both demonstrated of withdrawal. These data argue that while long-term alterations transmission may be important neurochemical substrate psychostimulant-induced not have necessary role.