C M Kuhn

..The terms anabolic/androgenic steroids will be used throughout to reflect the combined actions of all drugs that are currently available...

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..These findings suggest that both the activational and organizational effects of gonadal steroids contribute to the greater response of females to cocaine...

..These findings suggest that, although both ER subtypes play a role in the maintenance of TH-IR cell number in the SNpc and VTA, ERalpha may play a more significant role...

..TH-IN cell number did not change after castration or hormone replacement in rat or mouse SNpc or VTA. These findings suggest that testosterone may play a suppressive role in midbrain dopaminergic pathways...

..3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; "Ecstasy") use has been associated with acute toxicities and persistent depletion of the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT)...

..In summary, gonadectomy effects were sex and behavioral topography specific and indicate that activational effects of gonadal hormones partially mediate the robust sex differences in cocaine-stimulated open-field behavior...

..These results suggest that adrenally derived progesterone could contribute to cocaine-induced physiological changes, including inhibited gonadotropin release...

..Thus, behavioral phenotypes correlated with individual differences in cocaine/saccharin consumption in an age-related manner...

..Unpleasant side effects of drugs of abuse often limit their repeated use; however, such effects may be attenuated in adolescents compared to adults...

..The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of indices of central nervous system (CNS) serotonin function on cardiovascular reactivity to mental stress...

..149). Positive affect was inversely related to the increase in cortisol 30 min post awakening (p=.042), and unrelated to the evening decline in cortisol levels (p=.174). Positive emotions may be relevant to good health...

..5/4 repeats) (cortisol p<.043). Individuals with less active MAOA-uVNTR alleles who are under chronic stress may be at increased risk for exhaustion of the HPA response to such stress...

..013), and trended towards predicting anger-hostility (P = .084). Males in the HiHi group had greater increases in negative affect during infusion, compared to all groups except LoLo females, who also showed increased negative affect...

..Remaining personality domains were not related to prolactin levels. Findings add to literature suggesting the serotonin system functions differently, in important ways, in males and females...

..We found the long allele associated with larger CVR to mental stress in a preliminary study of 54 normal volunteers...

..Animal models, in which age of onset can be tightly controlled, offer a platform for testing causality. Many animal models address drug effects that might promote or discourage drug intake and drug-induced neuroplasticity...

..These results implicate serotonin in risk-sensitive decision making and, further, suggest pharmacological therapies for treating pathological risk preferences in disorders such as problem gambling and addiction...

..HOST has been associated with abnormalities in glucose metabolism. Prior studies suggested that this association may be more prevalent in women and in African American (AA) individuals...

..These findings highlight the importance of serotonin in negative memory with implications for mood disorders...

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..The present research provides novel evidence that societal shifts in political dominance can impact biological stress responses in voters whose political party becomes socio-politically subordinate...

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..First, do reduced aversive effects of ethanol in younger rats correlate with increased ethanol consumption? Second, are the reduced aversive effects in adolescents attributable to reduced sensitivity to ethanol's physiologic effects?..

..We suggest that the role of thigmotaxis be carefully evaluated in future neurodevelopmental studies of spatial learning, especially those investigating the endocannabinoid system...

..Findings from two independent samples suggest that the association of 5-HTTLPR with depression varies according to gender and stressful life events...

..A common 44-base pair deletion (s allele) polymorphism in the 5-HTTLPR is associated with reduced 5HTT transcription efficiency and 5HT uptake in vitro...

..Relative to Whites and Black females, arousal of negative affect in Black males led to a pattern of sympathetic nervous system activity that may help explain the higher prevalence of hypertension in this population...

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..These results indicate that inhibitory synaptic function in the adolescent hippocampus is more sensitive to cannabinoid effects and may account, in part, for the greater sensitivity of adolescent animals to THC-induced memory impairment...

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..The immature regulation of transcription factors by cocaine could explain why adolescents show unique sensitivity to specific long-term behavioral alterations following cocaine treatment...

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..THC may impair learning in adolescents more than in adults because of delayed activation of cellular homeostatic adaptive mechanisms underlying cannabinoid tolerance in the hippocampus...

..CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that equivalent tissue concentrations of cocaine produce a greater behavioral response in young rats, and that adolescent animals display an apparent form of intrabinge sensitization...

..This developmental sensitivity is analogous to the effects of ethanol, another commonly used recreational drug...

..This contributes to our understanding of why adolescence is a particularly vulnerable period for development of drug abuse...

..The findings have implications for understanding the role of stress, sex, and hormones in different stages of fear learning and memory...

..The developmental sensitivity to subchronic THC confirms previous work carried out in our laboratory, and the sex-dependent effects highlight the importance of including females in drug abuse and addiction research...

..These results contribute to understanding sex differences in stimulant-induced locomotor activity in rats and may have broader implications for neurologic disorders and their pharmacotherapies in humans...

..Immaturity of DAT and/or DAT associated signaling systems in adolescence specifically enhances behavioral and dopaminergic responses in adolescence...

..Our results suggest that gonadal steroids exert lasting and opposing effects on the sensitivity of males and females to psychostimulants during development...

..The same biological differences that mediate age-specific behavioral responsiveness to stimulants in rodents could contribute to increased addiction vulnerability in adolescent humans...

..These findings have implications for the understanding of individual differences in fear acquisition and risk factors for the development of affective disorders...

..We assessed an array of behavioral and hormonal characteristics in adolescent (28-day-old) male rats before exposure to ethanol, and then determined which rats were most prone to high levels of alcohol drinking...

..Immaturity of dopamine neurotransmission in dorsal striatum may underlie enhanced acute responses to psychostimulants in adolescent rats and suggests a mechanism for the greater vulnerability of adolescent humans to drug addiction...

..These results suggest that vaginal lavage serves as a reinforcing stimulus and interacts with a neural substrate that mediates enhanced locomotor responses to cocaine during proestrus and estrus...

..Cath.a cells may prove to be a useful tool in elucidating basic pharmacologic properties of ERbeta. It may also help reveal the molecular mechanisms involved in mood regulation by estrogen...

..We conclude that presynaptic DA autoreceptors concurrently downregulate release and upregulate uptake, and that the mechanisms are also independently controlled during neurotransmission...

..Further studies are needed to validate these findings and to examine the specific mechanism by which these differences may arise...

..The results demonstrate that UDP stimulates mitogenesis through activation of P2Y(6) receptors and that the receptor is regulated by factors important in the development of vascular disease...

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..These experiments should ultimately lead to the development of more effective pharmacotherapies for GHB dependence, which is an emerging drug abuse problem. ..

..The program in Pharmacological Sciences has a long-standing active and effective minority recruitment program ..

..These studies should provide insight into potential biologic mechanisms that influence the onset of drug taking during adolescence. ..

..These studies should provide insight into basic mechanisms which mediate gender differences in dopaminergic function and the effects of locomotor stimulants which depend upon dopaminergic transmission. ..

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