Effects of hypnotic drugs on methamphetamine-related behaviors: an ethological and molecular study in rodents and non-human primates

• Grant number: 15/25482-3
• Support type: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): February 14, 2016
• Effective date (End): November 05, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Pharmacology
• Principal Investigator: Monica Levy Andersen
• Grantee: Laís Fernanda Berro
• Supervisor abroad: Leonard Lee Howell
• Home Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Local de pesquisa : Emory University, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 15/16109-7 - Effects of hypnotic drugs on methamphetamine-related behaviors: an ethological and molecular study in rodents and non-human primates, BP.DR

Abstract

Drug addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder which currently represents a global public health concern. Despite decades of research, there is no cure for drug abuse to date, mainly due to the heterogeneity of this disease and all the factors influencing it. Among them, one of the major clinical complaints reported by drug users is sleep impairment, which per se can worsen the course of drug abuse. Together with the nocturnal pattern of use of psychostimulants, these considerations pose sleep as an important factor in drug addiction, with sleep interventions possibly playing a critical role in the prevention and treatment of substance use disorders. In this scenario, we propose in the present study the investigation of the effects of temazepam and eszopiclone, two clinically approved hypnotic drugs from distinct classes, on methamphetamine-related behaviors. We will first investigate if both hypnotic drugs are equally effective in promoting sleep disrupted by methamphetamine in rhesus macaques. Then, through behavioral and in vivo microdialysis studies in mice and rhesus macaques, we will investigate if sleep promotion can affect the maintenance, extinction and reinstatement of the behavioral effects of methamphetamine. We aim to shed light on the mechanisms underlying the relationship between sleep and psychostimulant addiction, possibly providing relevant insights to clinical practices in rehabilitation and addiction prevention strategies.

Scientific publications

(6)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

CURRY, DANIEL W.; BERRO, LAIS F.; BELKOFF, ANDIE R.; SULIMA, AGNIESZKA; RICE, KENNER C.; HOWELL, LEONARD L. Sensitization to the prosocial effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Neuropharmacology, v. 151, p. 13-20, JUN 2019. Web of Science Citations: 1.

ODABAS-GELDIAY, MELIS; SHIELDS, HANNAH; BERRO, LAIS F.; RICE, KENNER C.; HOWELL, LEONARD L. Effects of acute treatments with the serotonin 2A antagonist M100907 alone or in combination with the serotonin 2C agonist WAY163909 on methamphetamine self-administration in rhesus monkeys. DRUG AND ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE, v. 194, p. 252-256, JAN 1 2019. Web of Science Citations: 0.

BERRO, LAIS F.; SHIELDS, HANNAH; ODABAS-GELDIAY, MELIS; ROTHBAUM, BARBARA O.; ANDERSEN, MONICA L.; HOWELL, LEONARD L. Acute Effects of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and R(-) MDMA on Actigraphy-Based Daytime Activity and Sleep Parameters in Rhesus Monkeys. EXPERIMENTAL AND CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY, v. 26, n. 4, p. 410-420, AUG 2018. Web of Science Citations: 0.

BERRO, LAIS F.; ANDERSEN, MONICA L.; TUFIK, SERGIO; HOWELL, LEONARD L. GABA(A) receptor positive allosteric modulators modify the abuse-related behavioral and neurochemical effects of methamphetamine, in rhesus monkeys. Neuropharmacology, v. 123, p. 299-309, SEP 1 2017. Web of Science Citations: 4.

BERRO, LAIS F.; DIAZ, MAYLEN PEREZ; MALTBIE, ERIC; HOWELL, LEONARD L. Effects of the serotonin 2C receptor agonist WAY163909 on the abuse-related effects and mesolimbic dopamine neurochemistry induced by abused stimulants in rhesus monkeys. Psychopharmacology, v. 234, n. 17, p. 2607-2617, SEP 2017. Web of Science Citations: 5.

BERRO, LAIS F.; ANDERSEN, MONICA L.; HOWELL, LEONARD L. Assessment of tolerance to the effects of methamphetamine on daytime and nighttime activity evaluated with actigraphy in rhesus monkeys. Psychopharmacology, v. 234, n. 15, p. 2277-2287, AUG 2017. Web of Science Citations: 6.