Sex differences in drug-related stress-system changes: implications for treatment in substance-abusing women.
Extensive research indicates that chronic substance abuse disrupts stress and reward systems of the brain. Gender variation within these stress-system alterations, including the impact of sex hormones on these changes, may influence sex-specific differences in both the development of, and recovery from, dependency. As such, gender variations in stress-system function may also provide a viable explanation for why women are markedly more vulnerable than men to the negative consequences of drug use. This article therefore initially reviews studies that have examined gender differences in emotional and biophysiological changes to the stress and reward system following the acute administration of drugs, including cocaine, alcohol, and nicotine. The article then reviews studies that have examined gender differences in response to various types of stress in both healthy and drug-abusing populations. Studies examining the impact of sex hormones on these gender-related responses are also reported. The implications of these sex-specific variations in stress and reward system function are discussed in terms of both comorbid psychopathology and treatment outcome.
Yale Stress Center, Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06519, USA. helen.fox@yale.edu
Helen C
HC
Fox
Rajita
R
Sinha
D000328:Adult; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D000431:Ethanol; D005260:Female; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009538:Nicotine; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D000431:Ethanol; D009538:Nicotine