title: The neuroendocrine response to stress under the effect of drugs: Negative synergy between amphetamine and stressors.
abstract: There have been numerous studies into the interaction between stress and addictive drugs, yet few have specifically addressed how the organism responds to stress when under the influence of psychostimulants. Thus, we studied the effects of different acute stressors (immobilization, interleukin-1β and forced swimming) in young adult male rats simultaneously exposed to amphetamine (AMPH, 4 mg/kg SC), evaluating classic biological markers. AMPH administration itself augmented the plasma hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) hormones, adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and corticosterone, without affecting plasma glucose levels. By contrast, this drug dampened the peripheral HPA axis, as well as the response of glucose to the three stressors. We also found that AMPH administration completely blocked the forced swim-induced expression of the corticotropin-releasing hormone (hnCRH) and it partially reduced c-fos expression in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). Indeed, this negative synergy in the forced swim test could even be observed with a lower dose of AMPH (1mg/kg, SC), a dose that is usually received in self-administration experiments. In conclusion, when rats that receive AMPH are subjected to stress, a negative synergy occurs that dampens the prototypic peripheral physiological response to stress and activation of the PVN.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Neurociències and Red de Transtornos Adictivos (RTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain; Animal Physiology Unit (School of Biosciences), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain.
authors.forename: Almudena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gómez-Román
authors.affiliation: Institut de Neurociències and Red de Transtornos Adictivos (RTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain; Animal Physiology Unit (School of Biosciences), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ortega-Sánchez
authors.affiliation: Institut de Neurociències and Red de Transtornos Adictivos (RTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain; Animal Physiology Unit (School of Biosciences), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rotllant
authors.affiliation: Institut de Neurociències and Red de Transtornos Adictivos (RTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain; Animal Physiology Unit (School of Biosciences), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain.
authors.forename: Humberto
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gagliano
authors.affiliation: Institut de Neurociències and Red de Transtornos Adictivos (RTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain; Animal Physiology Unit (School of Biosciences), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain.
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Belda
authors.affiliation: Institut de Neurociències and Red de Transtornos Adictivos (RTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain; Animal Physiology Unit (School of Biosciences), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain.
authors.forename: Raúl
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Delgado-Morales
authors.affiliation: Institut de Neurociències and Red de Transtornos Adictivos (RTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain; Animal Physiology Unit (School of Biosciences), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain.
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Marín-Blasco
authors.affiliation: Institut de Neurociències and Red de Transtornos Adictivos (RTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain; Psychobiology Unit (School of Psychology), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain.
authors.forename: Roser
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nadal
authors.affiliation: Institut de Neurociències and Red de Transtornos Adictivos (RTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain; Animal Physiology Unit (School of Biosciences), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain. Electronic address: Antonio.armario@uab.es.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Armario
mesh_terms: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D000661:Amphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000378:metabolism; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D004357:Drug Synergism; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D010286:Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D012149:Restraint, Physical; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism*; D013550:Swimming
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D053583:Interleukin-1beta; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; D000661:Amphetamine; D003345:Corticosterone
keywords: CRH; Forced swim; Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis; Immobilization; Interleukin-1β; Plasma glucose