Gender differences in cardiovascular and corticoadrenal response to stress and drug cues in cocaine dependent individuals.
BACKGROUND
Extensive research suggests that gender may affect neuroendocrine and cardiovascular arousal mechanisms underlying biological responses to stress.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the impact of gender on response to stress and to drug-cue exposure in treatment-seeking cocaine abusers.


METHODS
Fifty recently abstinent cocaine dependent individuals (25F/25M), who were matched on cocaine use history, were exposed to a brief guided-imagery procedure that involved imagining a recent personal stressful situation, a personal drug-related situation and neutral-relaxing situation, one imagery per session, presented in random order. Subjective craving and anxiety, cardiovascular measures and plasma adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), cortisol and prolactin were assessed.


RESULTS
Males showed significantly higher levels of ACTH, cortisol, and SBP, both at baseline and following all three imagery conditions. Females showed significantly higher basal heart rate and prolactin, although no gender differences were observed following imagery. No gender differences were seen in subjective anxiety or cocaine craving.


CONCLUSIONS
Results indicate significant gender differences in baseline sensitivity and subsequent variations in hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and cardiovascular response to imagery challenge. Such gender-specific responses could have implications for the development of pharmacological treatments that address stress and drug-cue-related relapse in cocaine-abusing individuals.
Fox
Helen C
HC
Substance Abuse Center, Connecticut Mental Health Center, Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 34 Park Street, New Haven, CT 06519, USA. helen.fox@yale.edu
Garcia
Miguel
M
Kemp
Kathleen
K
Milivojevic
Verica
V
Kreek
Mary Jeanne
MJ
Sinha
Rajita
R
D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000097:blood; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology
D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D011388:Prolactin; D006854:Hydrocortisone