Psychoneuroendocrinology
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Psychoneuroendocrinology · Jun 2011
Comparative StudySocial influences on plasma testosterone levels in morphine withdrawn adolescent mice and their drug-naïve cage-mates.
Opioid administration in males results in opioid-induced androgen deficiency which persists throughout the treatment. In adults, this quickly reverses once opioid administration is suspended. However, less is known about the duration of the effect following drug discontinuation in adolescents. ⋯ The effect was not a drug effect per se, given that reduced plasma testosterone levels were not observed in individually housed morphine withdrawn mice. Moreover, our results also suggest that these social effects are not solely explained by stress. These results have numerous implications to the short term and long term health of both adolescents requiring pain management and of adolescent drug addicts.