The effects of exogenous progesterone on drug craving and stress arousal in cocaine dependence: impact of gender and cue type.

Aims: Exogenous progesterone has been shown to attenuate the rewarding effects of cocaine. However, its effects on provoked drug craving, stress arousal and cognitive performance has not been systematically investigated in cocaine dependent men and women. Thus, we conducted a double-blind placebo-controlled study assessing the efficacy of progesterone in reducing provoked drug craving, stress system arousal and improving cognitive performance in cocaine dependent men and women.

Stress system changes associated with marijuana dependence may increase craving for alcohol and cocaine.

Objective: To date, little research exists defining bio-behavioral adaptations associated with both marijuana abuse and risk of craving and relapse to other drugs of abuse during early abstinence.

Method: Fifty-nine treatment-seeking individuals dependent on alcohol and cocaine were recruited. Thirty of these individuals were also marijuana (MJ) dependent; 29 were not.

Immune system inflammation in cocaine dependent individuals: implications for medications development.

Objectives: Cocaine dependence is a chronic stress state. Furthermore, both stress and substance abuse have robust and reciprocal effects on immune system cytokines, which are known to be powerful modulators of mood. We therefore examine basal and provoked changes in peripheral cytokines in cocaine dependent individuals to better understand their role in the negative reinforcing effects of cocaine.

Neural correlates of stress-induced and cue-induced drug craving: influences of sex and cocaine dependence.

Objective: Although stress and drug cue exposure each increase drug craving and contribute to relapse in cocaine dependence, no previous research has directly examined the neural correlates of stress-induced and drug cue-induced craving in cocaine-dependent women and men relative to comparison subjects.

Method: Functional MRI was used to assess responses to individualized scripts for stress, drug/alcohol cue and neutral-relaxing-imagery conditions in 30 abstinent cocaine-dependent individuals (16 women, 14 men) and 36 healthy recreational-drinking comparison subjects (18 women, 18 men).

Results: Significant three-way interactions between diagnostic group, sex, and script condition were observed in multiple brain regions including the striatum, insula, and anterior and posterior cingulate.