Contributions of early life adversity, sex, and traits towards compulsive opioid self-administration

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atmire.migration.oldid5848
dc.contributor.advisorLovic, Vedran
dc.contributor.authorHynes, Tristan
dc.contributor.committeememberDyck, Richard
dc.contributor.committeememberAntle, Michael
dc.contributor.committeememberBorgland, Stephanie
dc.date.accessioned2017-08-23T19:56:43Z
dc.date.available2017-08-23T19:56:43Z
dc.date.issued2017
dc.date.submitted2017en
dc.description.abstractMany people try addictive drugs, but only a small percentage transition from situational/recreational use to the escalating, compulsive, and relapsing disorder of addiction. It is therefore important to characterize the individual differences that render individuals vulnerable to addiction. Substantial evidence suggests that individual differences in early life experience, biological sex, personality traits, and neurobiology of the reward system are all associated with the development of addiction. A dimensional model of how all these factors relate to addiction is necessary, but simultaneously and experimentally probing all these processes in humans is impossible. I therefore conducted a large-scale study to explore these phenomena in rats. Throughout ‘adolescence’ (PND 21-35), I exposed a group of rats to a variety of stressors [i.e., forced-swim, restraint, predator odour, food-restriction, and social isolation; termed ‘early life adversity’ (ELA)]. As adults (PND 60-140), I assessed them on numerous addiction-relevant behavioural traits (i.e., impulsivity, anxiety, novelty-preference, and attraction to reward cues). After trait assessment, I observed the rats’ propensity to self-administer the opiate remifentanil. I then killed a subset of rats and quantified DA receptor mRNA in the mPFC. ELA decreased impulsivity and decreased the rate of acquisition of opiate self-administration in male rats only. Compared to males, female rats exhibited greater anxiety-like behaviour and potentiated opioid self-administration. Anxiety-like behaviour and attraction to reward cues predicted several addiction-relevant behaviours.en_US
dc.identifier.citationHynes, T. (2017). Contributions of early life adversity, sex, and traits towards compulsive opioid self-administration (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/25447en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/25447
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11023/4036
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisher.facultyGraduate Studies
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.publisher.placeCalgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subjectPsychology--Behavioral
dc.titleContributions of early life adversity, sex, and traits towards compulsive opioid self-administration
dc.typemaster thesis
thesis.degree.disciplinePsychology
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Science (MSc)
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrue
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