Date Approved
6-9-2025
Embargo Period
6-9-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D. Neuroscience
Department
Cell Biology and Neuroscience
College
Rowan-Virtua School of Translational Biomedical Engineering & Sciences
Advisor
Daniel Manvich, Ph.D.
Committee Member 1
Jessica Loweth, Ph.D.
Committee Member 2
Elizabeth West, Ph.D.
Committee Member 3
Benjamin Rood, Ph.D.
Committee Member 4
Archana Kumari, Ph.D.
Keywords
BLA;Cocaine;Estrous Cycle;Incubation of Craving;Sex Differences
Disciplines
Medical Sciences | Medicine and Health Sciences | Neurosciences
Abstract
Cues associated with cocaine use are one of the most common relapse triggers and understanding what promotes cue-induced cocaine craving and relapse is a critical question in the field. Human studies have shown that these measures are impacted by fluctuations in ovarian hormone levels, as higher levels of estradiol promote cue-induced cocaine craving in women while higher levels of progesterone reduce craving in both sexes. Enhanced or incubated cue-induced cocaine seeking or craving also changes across the rodent reproductive (estrous) cycle as levels of estradiol and progesterone fluctuate, with enhanced seeking behavior observed during the estrus stage of the cycle. However, how ovarian hormones impact cocaine craving and relapse vulnerability and the molecular underpinnings driving these changes remain unclear. Here we found that administering hormone modulators to block estrogen and progesterone receptors during proestrus, when ovarian hormones are reaching peak levels, does not attenuate the enhanced cue-induced cocaine seeking behavior exhibited during estrus. However, we found that acutely inhibiting estrogen receptors only during estrus does attenuate enhanced cue-induced cocaine seeking behavior, indicating that rapid estrogen receptor signaling may be potentiating this behavior. Further, we found estrous cycle-dependent changes in estrogen receptor and AMPA receptor subunit expression in the basolateral amygdala of cocaine-exposed rats, a region known to mediate incubated cue-induced cocaine seeking. Together, these findings begin to parse apart the role of ovarian hormones in enhanced cue-induced cocaine seeking behavior and identify potential mechanisms underlying these effects.
Recommended Citation
Wannen, Erin Elizabeth, "Mechanisms Underlying Estrous Cycle-Dependent Changes in Incubated Cocaine Craving" (2025). Theses and Dissertations. 3387.
https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/3387
