Individual Differences in Sensitization to Amphetamine

描述(由申请人提供)： 这项工作的总体目标是在个体差异的背景下调查苯丙胺行为敏化的神经生物学基础。我们的目标是在个体差异的背景下理解心理社会压力和对苯丙胺的行为敏感化发展之间的相互作用。行为敏感化与药物成瘾有关，因为人们认为对精神刺激剂敏感的神经生物学变化可能与可能导致药物滥用成瘾的变化相同，或者至少是重叠的。此外，人们认为，压力和糖皮质激素尤其可能在行为敏感化和吸毒行为的某些方面起中介作用。我们将研究多巴胺和压力回路中的基因和蛋白质变化如何调节某些个体对精神刺激剂敏感的倾向。我们将使用这一个体差异模型来帮助理解一些人如何以及为什么更容易受到药物滥用的影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall aim of this work is to investigate the neurobiological basis of behavioral sensitization to amphetamine in the context of individual differences. We aim to understand the interplay between psychosocial stress and the development of behavioral sensitization to amphetamine in the context of individual differences. Behavioral sensitization is relevant to drug addiction as it is thought that the neurobiological changes that may underlie sensitization to psychostimulants may be the same, or at least overlap with, changes that may cause addiction to drugs of abuse. Furthermore, it is thought that stress and glucocorticoids in particular, may mediate some aspects of behavioral sensitization as well as drug taking behaviors. We will examine how gene and protein changes in the dopamine and stress circuitry may mediate the propensity of some individuals to become sensitized to psychostimulants. We will use this model of individual differences to help understand how and why some individuals are more prone to the effects of drugs of abuse.