Stress modulation of drug self-administration: Implications for addiction comorbidity with post-traumatic stress disorder

Drug abuse and dependence present significant health burdens for our society, affecting roughly 10% of the population. Stress likely contributes to the development and persistence of drug use; for example, rates of substance dependence are elevated among individuals diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Thus, understanding the interaction between stress and drug use, and associated neuroadaptations, is key for developing therapies to combat substance use disorders. For this purpose, many rodent models of the effects of stress exposure on substance use have been developed; the models can be classified according to three categories of stress exposure: developmental, adult nonsocial, and adult social. The present review addresses preclinical findings on the effect of each type of trauma on responses to and self-administration of drugs of abuse by focusing on a key exemplar for each category. In addition, the potential efficacy of targeting neuropeptide systems that have been implicated in stress responses and stress system neuroadaptation in order to treat comorbid PTSD and substance abuse will be discussed.This article is part of a Special Issue entitled ‘Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder’.

► We review literature on traumatic stress effects on rodent drug self-administration.
► Early life stress and social and nonsocial stress in adulthood impact drug use.
► Stress exposure acutely elevates all phases of drug self-administration.
► Traumatic stress may also have long-term impact on drug taking and relapse.
► We discuss several therapeutic targets for post-traumatic and drug use disorders.