Neuroactive steroid levels and cocaine use chronicity in men and women with cocaine use disorder receiving progesterone or placebo.

Neuroactive steroid levels and cocaine use chronicity in men and women with cocaine use disorder receiving progesterone or placebo. Am J Addict. 2018 Dec 11;: Authors: Milivojevic V, Covault J, Angarita GA, Siedlarz K, Sinha R Abstract BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Neuroactive steroids (NAS) may play a role in addiction, with observed increases in response to acute stress and drug use, but decreases with chronic substance use, suggesting that NAS neuroadaptations may occur with chronic substance use. However, levels of NAS in addicted individuals have not been systematically examined. Here, we evaluated a panel of NAS in men and women with cocaine use disorder (CUD) who participated in a clinical laboratory study of progesterone. METHODS: Forty six CUD individuals were enrolled in a randomized placebo-controlled laboratory study to evaluate progesterone effects on levels of various NAS. On day 5 of a 7-day inpatient treatment regimen of 400 mg/day progesterone (15M/8F) or placebo (14M/9F), plasma levels of NAS known to be downstream of progesterone (allopregnanolone, pregnanolone), and NAS not in the progesterone synthesis pathway (androstanediol, testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone [DHEA] and the NAS precursor, pregnenolone) were analyzed using highly sensitive gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The relationship between each of the NAS and chronicity of cocaine use was also assessed. RESULTS: Progesterone ...
Source: American Journal on Addictions - Category: Addiction Authors: Tags: Am J Addict Source Type: research