Sex as a biological variable: Drug use and abuse

Riley, Anthony L.; Hempel, Briana; Clasen, Matthew M.

doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.10.005

Cited by 60 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 349 publications

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“…Psychiatric disorders involving the reward system often present differently in men and women ( Becker et al., 2017 ). For example, men are more likely to participate in activities with a high risk of addiction, such as gambling or drug abuse, but women who participate in these activities may be more sensitive to drug effects and escalate to misuse more rapidly ( Fattore et al., 2014 ; Becker, 2016 ; Riley et al., 2018 ; Mayo et al., 2019 ). Similarly, major depression is more common in women and may present in a sex-specific manner.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex differences in the human reward system: convergent behavioral, autonomic and neural evidence

Warthen

Boyse-Peacor

Jones

et al. 2020

Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience

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Several studies have suggested that females and males differ in reward behaviors and their underlying neural circuitry. Whether human sex differences extend across neural and behavioral levels for both rewards and punishments remains unclear. We studied a community sample of 221 young women and men who performed a monetary incentive task known to engage the mesoaccumbal pathway and salience network. Both stimulus salience (behavioral relevance) and valence (win vs loss) varied during the task. In response to high- vs low-salience stimuli presented during the monetary incentive task, men showed greater subjective arousal ratings, behavioral accuracy and skin conductance responses (P < 0.006, Hedges’ effect size g = 0.38 to 0.46). In a subsample studied with functional magnetic resonance imaging (n = 44), men exhibited greater responsiveness to stimulus salience in the nucleus accumbens, midbrain, anterior insula and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (P < 0.02, g = 0.86 to 1.7). Behavioral, autonomic and neural sensitivity to the valence of stimuli did not differ by sex, indicating that responses to rewards vs punishments were similar in women and men. These results reveal novel and robust sex differences in reward- and punishment-related traits, behavior, autonomic activity and neural responses. These convergent results suggest a neurobehavioral basis for sexual dimorphism observed in the reward system, including reward-related disorders.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex differences in the human reward system: convergent behavioral, autonomic and neural evidence

Warthen

Boyse-Peacor

Jones

et al. 2020

Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience

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“…BDNF and TrkB receptors may play an important role in sex differences in plasticity of affective and motivational circuits that influence addictive behavior. For example, there are well documented sex differences in the stress response of mammals [52,[208][209][210], and stress can precipitate the initiation of drug taking and relapse in humans and animal models [44,117,[211][212][213]. Therapies that promote reduction in stress axis activity may need to be modified according to gender/sex since many activities that reduce stress and enhance BDNF are likely to have different efficacies for males and females, as is true for the effects of exercise on cocaine selfadministration [205,214,215].…”

Section: Mu-opioid Receptorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex differences in neural mechanisms mediating reward and addiction

Becker

Chartoff

2018

Neuropsychopharmacol

365

251

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There is increasing evidence in humans and laboratory animals for biologically based sex differences in every phase of drug addiction: acute reinforcing effects, transition from occasional to compulsive use, withdrawal-associated negative affective states, craving, and relapse. There is also evidence that many qualitative aspects of the addiction phases do not differ significantly between males and females, but one sex may be more likely to exhibit a trait than the other, resulting in population differences. The conceptual framework of this review is to focus on hormonal, chromosomal, and epigenetic organizational and contingent, sex-dependent mechanisms of four neural systems that are known-primarily in males-to be key players in addiction: dopamine, mu-opioid receptors (MOR), kappa opioid receptors (KOR), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). We highlight data demonstrating sex differences in development, expression, and function of these neural systems as they relate-directly or indirectly-to processes of reward and addictive behavior, with a focus on psychostimulants and opioids. We identify gaps in knowledge about how these neural systems interact with sex to influence addictive behavior, emphasizing throughout that the impact of sex can be highly nuanced and male/female data should be reported regardless of the outcome.

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“…The development of opioid tolerance and the resulting dose increase leads to a higher risk of addiction and overdose (Trescot et al, 2006). Clinically, men are two times more likely to have used opiates, including heroin, within the past month, year, and across the lifespan (NSDUH, 2016; see Riley et al. 2018 for review), and preclinical studies in rodents report that males experience longer and more severe withdrawal symptoms from opiates than females (Cicero et al, 2002; Diaz et al, 2005).…”

Section: Opioid Analgesiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of sex on pain and opioid analgesia: a review

Fullerton

Doyle

Murphy

2018

Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences

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Chronic pain is a debilitating condition that impacts tens of millions each year, resulting in lost wages for workers and exacting considerable costs in health care and rehabilitation. A thorough understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying pain and analgesia is critical to facilitate the development of therapeutic strategies and personalized medicine. Clinical and epidemiological studies report that women experience greater levels of pain than men and have higher rates of pain-related disorders. Studies in both rodents and humans report sex differences in the anatomical and physiologic properties of the descending antinociceptive circuit, mu opioid receptor (MOR) expression and binding, morphine metabolism, and immune system activation, all of which likely contribute to the observed sex differences in pain and opioid analgesia. Although more research is needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms, these sex differences present potential therapeutic targets to optimize pain management strategies for both sexes.

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Sex as a biological variable: Drug use and abuse

Cited by 60 publications

References 349 publications

Sex differences in the human reward system: convergent behavioral, autonomic and neural evidence

Sex differences in the human reward system: convergent behavioral, autonomic and neural evidence

Sex differences in neural mechanisms mediating reward and addiction

Impact of sex on pain and opioid analgesia: a review

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