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Altered levels of sex and stress steroid hormones assessed daily over a 28-day cycle in early abstinent cocaine-dependent females

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Abstract

Rationale

There is growing evidence of alterations in brain stress and reward circuits associated with cocaine dependence. Sex differences are also documented and sex steroid hormones have been linked to cocaine reinforcement.

Objectives

The current study therefore assessed daily fluctuations in stress and sex hormones in cocaine-dependent females compared with healthy females.

Method

Daily salivary samples of cortisol, progesterone, and estradiol were collected at waking across 28 days from 12 cocaine-dependent females receiving inpatient treatment and 10 healthy females. Participants also completed mood-rating scales each week corresponding to four phases of the menstrual cycle and cocaine craving was monitored in cocaine patients at each phase.

Results

Cocaine-dependent females in their first month of abstinence demonstrated significantly higher levels of both cortisol and progesterone across the menstrual cycle and significantly lower estradiol/progesterone (E2/P) ratios compared to healthy controls. They also showed significantly increased negative mood compared with controls, but no variation in cocaine craving across the menstrual cycle.

Conclusions

Findings indicate altered stress and sex hormones suggestive of an overactive stress system during the first month of cocaine abstinence after chronic cocaine abuse. These increased levels of cortisol and progesterone could impact both abstinence-related symptoms such as negative mood and susceptibility to drug-seeking behavior in cocaine-dependent females.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the staff at the Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit and the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation (YCCI) at Yale University School of Medicine for their assistance in completing these studies. The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests. This study was supported in part by NIH grants P50-DA16556 (Sinha), K02-DA17232 (Sinha), and UL1 RR024139 (Yale Clinical Translational Science Award).

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  1. Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, Substance Abuse Center, Connecticut Mental Health Center, 34 Park Street, New Haven, CT, 06519, USA

    Helen C. Fox, Kwangik A. Hong, Prashni Paliwal, Peter T. Morgan & Rajita Sinha

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  1. Helen C. Fox
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  2. Kwangik A. Hong
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  3. Prashni Paliwal
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  4. Peter T. Morgan
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  5. Rajita Sinha
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Correspondence to Helen C. Fox.

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Fox, H.C., Hong, K.A., Paliwal, P. et al. Altered levels of sex and stress steroid hormones assessed daily over a 28-day cycle in early abstinent cocaine-dependent females. Psychopharmacology 195, 527–536 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-007-0936-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-007-0936-3

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