Cross-talk between the HPA axis and addiction-related regions in stressful situations

Marjan Nikbakhtzadeh; Hoda Ranjbar; Khadijeh Moradbeygi; Elham Zahedi; Mahnaz Bayat; Monavareh Soti; Mohammad Shabani

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15525

Cross-talk between the HPA axis and addiction-related regions in stressful situations

Heliyon. 2023 Apr 17;9(4):e15525. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15525. eCollection 2023 Apr.

Authors

Marjan Nikbakhtzadeh¹, Hoda Ranjbar², Khadijeh Moradbeygi³, Elham Zahedi¹, Mahnaz Bayat⁴, Monavareh Soti², Mohammad Shabani²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran.
² Neuroscience Research Center of Kerman, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Science, Kerman, Iran.
³ Department of Nursing, Abadan Faculty of Medical Sciences, Abadan, Iran.
⁴ Clinical Neurology Research Centre, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.

Abstract

Addiction is a worldwide problem that has a negative impact on society by imposing significant costs on health care, public security, and the deactivation of the community economic cycle. Stress is an important risk factor in the development of addiction and relapse vulnerability. Here we review studies that have demonstrated the diverse roles of stress in addiction. Term searches were conducted manually in important reference journals as well as in the Google Scholar and PubMed databases, between 2010 and 2022. In each section of this narrative review, an effort has been made to use pertinent sources. First, we will provide an overview of changes in the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis component following stress, which impact reward-related regions including the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and nucleus accumbens (NAc). Then we will focus on internal factors altered by stress and their effects on drug addiction vulnerability. We conclude that alterations in neuro-inflammatory, neurotrophic, and neurotransmitter factors following stress pathways can impact related mechanisms on craving and relapse susceptibility.

Keywords: Addiction; Drug abuse; HPA axis; Neuro-inflammatory; Neurotransmitter; Neurotrophic; Stress.

Publication types

Review