Poster or Presentation Title
The effect of the Oxytocin hormone in Cocaine addicted rats suffering from abstinence syndrome
Location
Academic Pit
Advisor(s)
Carmen Maldonado Vlaar
David Ojeda
Sol Fonseca
Start Date
30-6-2018 11:40 AM
End Date
30-6-2018 11:55 AM
Abstract
Rehabilitation from a history of drug abuse is a very difficult and life changing process. Abstinence syndrome forces the rehabilitating patient to go through anxiety like symptoms. The Oxytocin hormone has been believed to be a potential facilitator in the rehabilitation process. This hormone is very present during interactions of affection (hugs) and birth, it foments trust while it associates to a feeling of calmness. Oxytocin would theoretically be a calming agent to the anxiety like symptoms such as craving. The experiment aimed to test the calming effects of the hormone, consisted of a five-day systemic cocaine injections treatment schedule and a sixth day of intranasal administration of Oxytocin or saline. Six Sprague-Dawley male rats were assigned to two separate groups of three: one group was given Oxytocin on the sixth day and the other was given a saline solution. Both groups were introduced to the Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) test to measure the anxiety. Throughout the first five days the locomotion was monitored and recorded. The collected data showed a constant rising of locomotion from day two through day five where is reached a peak and then lowered down, this occurred for all rats. The rats that received intranasal Oxytocin treatment spent more time in the open arms when put in the EPM test in contrast to the rats that received saline that spent more time inside the closed arms even though the difference between the groups was not significant. These results suggest that Oxytocin could possibly have anxiolytic effects.
Included in
Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists Commons, Substance Abuse and Addiction Commons
The effect of the Oxytocin hormone in Cocaine addicted rats suffering from abstinence syndrome
Academic Pit
Rehabilitation from a history of drug abuse is a very difficult and life changing process. Abstinence syndrome forces the rehabilitating patient to go through anxiety like symptoms. The Oxytocin hormone has been believed to be a potential facilitator in the rehabilitation process. This hormone is very present during interactions of affection (hugs) and birth, it foments trust while it associates to a feeling of calmness. Oxytocin would theoretically be a calming agent to the anxiety like symptoms such as craving. The experiment aimed to test the calming effects of the hormone, consisted of a five-day systemic cocaine injections treatment schedule and a sixth day of intranasal administration of Oxytocin or saline. Six Sprague-Dawley male rats were assigned to two separate groups of three: one group was given Oxytocin on the sixth day and the other was given a saline solution. Both groups were introduced to the Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) test to measure the anxiety. Throughout the first five days the locomotion was monitored and recorded. The collected data showed a constant rising of locomotion from day two through day five where is reached a peak and then lowered down, this occurred for all rats. The rats that received intranasal Oxytocin treatment spent more time in the open arms when put in the EPM test in contrast to the rats that received saline that spent more time inside the closed arms even though the difference between the groups was not significant. These results suggest that Oxytocin could possibly have anxiolytic effects.