Withdrawal from Voluntary Oral Methamphetamine Reveals Female Specific Susceptibilities to Behavioral Deficits and Neurochemical Perpetuators of Neurotoxicity and Drug Seeking Behavior
type: CreativeWork
description: MA is a potent, highly addictive psychomotor stimulant known to produce neurotoxic effects on the brain leading to neurological impairments1-6 characterized by neurodegeneration of dopaminergic fibers, cell bodies and pathways, as well as brain regions such as the hippocampus, frontal cortex, and midbrain1,5. In MA addiction, women are more vulnerable to the behavioral and cognitive effects of MA compared to men. Adult human literature reveals gender differences in usage patterns and women demonstrate increased vulnerability to the neurotoxic effects and health effects of MA use. Women begin drug use at an earlier age, escalate drug use quicker, have increased MA rates, and increased relapse rates compared to men7-14. Chronic MA use produces long term impairments in cognitive function ranging from memory deficits, executive function deficits, and cognitive flexibility in chronic MA users15-16. Women demonstrate poor performance on decision making tasks following chronic MA use compared to men16. These MA-induced deficits in learning and memory have been associated with long term deteriorations of hippocampias well as persistent deterioration of other brain regions5. Current rodent models of addiction have been unsuccessful in identifying a therapeutic intervention to mitigate the persistent effects of chronic MA in vulnerable populations, unlike the use of buprenorphine administration to mitigate the detrimental effects associated with opioid abuse17. This highlights the need for the development of a translationally sensitive rodent model of MA addiction to better model human MA use and identify therapeutic intervention for susceptible populations including females. Using the voluntary oral methamphetamine administration (VOMA) model that our lab developed in mice, we identify the molecule mechanisms underlying sex differences in the behavioral and neurotoxic effects of chronic MA following a period of abstinence. Our results may aid in the identification of effecti…
abstract: MA is a potent, highly addictive psychomotor stimulant known to produce neurotoxic effects on the brain leading to neurological impairments1-6 characterized by neurodegeneration of dopaminergic fibers, cell bodies and pathways, as well as brain regions such as the hippocampus, frontal cortex, and midbrain1,5. In MA addiction, women are more vulnerable to the behavioral and cognitive effects of MA compared to men. Adult human literature reveals gender differences in usage patterns and women demonstrate increased vulnerability to the neurotoxic effects and health effects of MA use. Women begin drug use at an earlier age, escalate drug use quicker, have increased MA rates, and increased relapse rates compared to men7-14. Chronic MA use produces long term impairments in cognitive function ranging from memory deficits, executive function deficits, and cognitive flexibility in chronic MA users15-16. Women demonstrate poor performance on decision making tasks following chronic MA use compared to men16. These MA-induced deficits in learning and memory have been associated with long term deteriorations of hippocampias well as persistent deterioration of other brain regions5. Current rodent models of addiction have been unsuccessful in identifying a therapeutic intervention to mitigate the persistent effects of chronic MA in vulnerable populations, unlike the use of buprenorphine administration to mitigate the detrimental effects associated with opioid abuse17. This highlights the need for the development of a translationally sensitive rodent model of MA addiction to better model human MA use and identify therapeutic intervention for susceptible populations including females. Using the voluntary oral methamphetamine administration (VOMA) model that our lab developed in mice, we identify the molecule mechanisms underlying sex differences in the behavioral and neurotoxic effects of chronic MA following a period of abstinence. Our results may aid in the identification of effecti…
author: Memos, Nicoletta K
keywords: Behavioral Neurobiology, Cognition and Perception, Cognitive Neuroscience, Cognitive Psychology, Comparative Psychology, Experimental Analysis of Behavior, Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, methamphetamine addiction, withdrawal, relapse, drug seeking, hippocampus, nucleus accumbens
date published: 2022-06-01T07:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T01:58:31Z
provider: City University of New York - Graduate Center
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York