EARLY LIFE STRESS MAY CONTRIBUTE TO DRUG ADDICTION NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Stress early in life may increase the risk of drug abuse later on, according to results of a study in rats. Animals who underwent the stress of being isolated from their mothers and siblings showed an increased readiness to use cocaine, suggesting that humans who experience early childhood stress may be more vulnerable to drug addiction. In the study, researchers looked at eight rat pups that were separated from their mothers and siblings for 1 hour per day for their first week of life. About 3 months later, the rats were given daily access to increasing doses of cocaine. Their behavior was compared with six rat pups that had not been isolated from their mothers. The findings are published in the October issue of Brain Research. The investigators found that both groups of animals helped themselves to the cocaine. However, the group that had been deprived as babies was much quicker to partake in the activity, according to lead author Therese A. Kosten of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut and colleagues. ``The data from the present study suggest that...stress increases vulnerability to cocaine addiction. Further, these results are consistent with reports that early life stress is common among drug addicts,'' the authors write. ``Given that 1.8 million Americans are currently using cocaine, such information will be valuable in directing investigations toward potential interventions for children with early stress experiences in order to reduce the risk of developing drug addiction as adults, `` Kosten's team concludes. SOURCE - Brain Research 2000;875:20-31.
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