title: Increased vulnerability to stress following opiate exposures: behavioral and autonomic correlates.
abstract: The authors used rats to study the impact of a history of opiate exposures on behavioral and autonomic responses to restraint stress. Brief restraint (30 min) provoked tachycardia and a pressor response, anxiety (as indexed by social interaction), grooming, and reduced exploration. The pressor response was reduced at 1 day, but not 7 days, after last opiate exposure; tachycardia was unaffected (Experiment 1). Stress-induced anxiety was potentiated 1 and 7 days after last opiate exposure (Experiment 2), and this potentiation was a function of dose (Experiment 3) and duration (Experiment 4) of opiate exposure. The results show that a history of opiate exposures alters vulnerability to stress and has implications for understanding coping, anxiety, and emotionality in former opiate users.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Kate E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Blatchford
authors.forename: Keri
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Diamond
authors.forename: R Frederick
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Westbrook
authors.forename: Gavan P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: McNally
mesh_terms: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D006120:Grooming / Q000187:drug effects; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009020:Morphine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012149:Restraint, Physical / Q000379:methods; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013686:Telemetry / Q000379:methods; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D009020:Morphine