The Rockefeller University

Molecular and Neuroendocrine Profile in Normal Healthy Volunteers and Volunteers with Specific Addictions

Purpose

How does the atypical stress responsivity to stress and stressors contribute to the acquisition and persistence of and relapse to the use of illicit drugs (such as heroin and cocaine) and alcohol? The central hypothesis of this project is that atypical stress responsivity to stress and stressors contributes to the acquisition and persistence of and relapse to the use of illicit drugs (such as heroin and cocaine) and alcohol. We hypothesize and now have shown that the endogenous opioid system significantly contributes to the normal regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in humans. The HPA axis is a major contributor to the stress response in humans and all mammalian species. In humans it is a readily accessible locus for documenting and testing alterations in stress responsivity related to the addictive diseases. Previous work in this laboratory has established that opiate addiction atypical stress-responsivity of the HPA axis and the endogenous opioid system are interrelated. Our laboratory continues to examine the role of the endogenous opioid system during different stages of addictive diseases (including vulnerability acquisition persistence withdrawal and protracted abstinence).

Condition

• Addictive diseases