title: Sex differences, gender and addiction.
abstract: This review discusses alcohol and other forms of drug addiction as both a sociocultural and biological phenomenon. Sex differences and gender are not solely determined by biology, nor are they entirely sociocultural. The interactions among biological, environmental, sociocultural, and developmental influences result in phenotypes that may be more masculine or more feminine. These gender-related sex differences in the brain can influence the responses to drugs of abuse, progressive changes in the brain after exposure to drugs of abuse and whether addiction results from drug-taking experiences. In addition, the basic laboratory evidence for sex differences is discussed within the context of four types of sex/gender differences. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and the Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109.
authors.forename: Jill B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.affiliation: Department of History and the Residential College, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109.
authors.forename: Michele L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: McClellan
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work and the Department of Women's Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109.
authors.forename: Beth Glover
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Reed
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012737:Sex Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology
keywords: addiction; animal models; gender; sex differences; sociocultural influences