Increased vulnerability to stress following opiate exposures: Behavioral and autonomic correlates

Kate E. Blatchford, Keri Diamond, R. Frederick Westbrook, Gavan P. McNally*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

19 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The authors used rats to study the impact of a history of opiate exposures on behavioral and autonomic responses to restraint stress. Brief restraint (30 min) provoked tachycardia and a presser response, anxiety (as indexed by social interaction), grooming, and reduced exploration. The pressor response was reduced at 1 day, but not 7 days, after last opiate exposure; tachycardia was unaffected (Experiment 1). Stress-induced anxiety was potentiated 1 and 7 days after last opiate exposure (Experiment 2), and this potentiation was a function of dose (Experiment 3) and duration (Experiment 4) of opiate exposure. The results show that a history of opiate exposures alters vulnerability to stress and has implications for understanding coping, anxiety, and emotionality in former opiate users.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1034-1041
Number of pages8
JournalBehavioral Neuroscience
Volume119
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2005
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Anxiety
  • Blood pressure
  • Heart rate
  • Opiate
  • Stress

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Increased vulnerability to stress following opiate exposures: Behavioral and autonomic correlates'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this