TY - JOUR
T1 - Traumatic Stress-Enhanced Alcohol Drinking
T2 - Sex Differences and Animal Model Perspectives
AU - Finn, Deborah A.
AU - Clark, Crystal D.
AU - Ryabinin, Andrey E.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.
PY - 2024/4
Y1 - 2024/4
N2 - Purpose of Review: Stress is associated with alcohol drinking, and epidemiological studies document the comorbidity of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with higher comorbid prevalence in females than in males. The aim of this paper is to highlight information related to sex differences in stress-enhanced alcohol drinking from clinical studies and from preclinical studies utilizing an animal model of traumatic stress. Recent Findings: Stress is associated with alcohol drinking and relapse in males and females, but there are sex differences in the alcohol-related adaptation of stress pathways and in the association of different prefrontal regions with stress-induced anxiety. The predator stress model of traumatic stress produced enhanced alcohol drinking in a subgroup of stress-sensitive male and female animals, which could be associated with sex and subgroup differences in stress axis responsivity, behavioral responses to predator odors, and epigenetic mechanisms engaged by traumatic experiences. Summary: While additional studies in females are necessary, existing clinical and preclinical evidence suggests that biological mechanisms underlying stress-enhanced drinking likely differ between males and females. Thus, effective treatment strategies may differ between the sexes.
AB - Purpose of Review: Stress is associated with alcohol drinking, and epidemiological studies document the comorbidity of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with higher comorbid prevalence in females than in males. The aim of this paper is to highlight information related to sex differences in stress-enhanced alcohol drinking from clinical studies and from preclinical studies utilizing an animal model of traumatic stress. Recent Findings: Stress is associated with alcohol drinking and relapse in males and females, but there are sex differences in the alcohol-related adaptation of stress pathways and in the association of different prefrontal regions with stress-induced anxiety. The predator stress model of traumatic stress produced enhanced alcohol drinking in a subgroup of stress-sensitive male and female animals, which could be associated with sex and subgroup differences in stress axis responsivity, behavioral responses to predator odors, and epigenetic mechanisms engaged by traumatic experiences. Summary: While additional studies in females are necessary, existing clinical and preclinical evidence suggests that biological mechanisms underlying stress-enhanced drinking likely differ between males and females. Thus, effective treatment strategies may differ between the sexes.
KW - Alcohol use disorder
KW - Ethanol
KW - Females
KW - Males
KW - Post-traumatic stress disorder
KW - Predator odor stress
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U2 - 10.1007/s40429-023-00540-0
DO - 10.1007/s40429-023-00540-0
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85181889447
SN - 2196-2952
VL - 11
SP - 327
EP - 341
JO - Current Addiction Reports
JF - Current Addiction Reports
IS - 2
ER -