Females get addicted to cocaine more easily
March 11th, 2011 - 2:07 pm ICT by IANSWashington, March 11 (IANS) Females become addicted to cocaine more easily than males and find it harder to give up. New research reinforcing this position showed that female rats were more motivated to work for cocaine than male rats.
Researchers from the Molecular and Behavioural Neuroscience Institute, US, found that rats bred to have an elevated stress response and increased impulsiveness are more easily trained to reward themselves with cocaine.
They are also more determined than similar rats with low impulsivity and lower stress responses, in pursuit of their next fix, the journal Biology of Sex Differences reports.
While cocaine dependency has something to do with thrill seeking and impulsivity, it is also affected by the differences between males and females, according to a Behavioural Neuroscience Institute statement.
At a low dose, for both sets of rats, it was the females who were quickest to learn self-administration and the most willing to work harder for their next fix.
At higher doses, the differences in behaviour between male and female rats were less apparent.
While certain personality types are perhaps predisposed towards drug addiction, Jennifer Cummings, who led the study, explained: “An individual’s sex continues to increase the likelihood of drug abuse.”
-Indo-Asian News Service
St/pg/vt
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