Hormonal contraceptives (HCs) containing synthetic ovarian hormones are commonly used
among reproductive aged women; HCs alter the physiological state of the user by interfering …

Conditioned orienting response (OR) is a form of cue-directed behavior thought to indicate
increased attentional and/or motivational processing of reward-associated stimuli. OR as a …

Addictive drugs, such as cocaine and heroin, have welldocumented actions on behavior.
The mechanisms that these drugs employ have been under investigation for decades …

Human and animal research indicates the presence of sex differences in drug abuse. These
data suggest that females, compared to males, are more vulnerable to key phases of the …

Increasing evidence indicates the presence of sex differences in many aspects of drug
abuse. Most studies reveal that females exceed males during the initiation, escalation …

Psychostimulant effects are enhanced by ovarian hormones in women and female rodents.
Estradiol increases behavioral responses to psychostimulants in women and female rats …

Rationale Females are considered more susceptible to the reinforcing effects of drugs and
subsequently at increased risk for drug abuse and relapse after treatment. Estrogen is …

Estradiol (E2) has been shown to influence learning and memory systems used by female
rats to find a reward. Rats with high levels of E2 tend to use allocentric, or place, memory …

Women and men can differ in their propensity to take risks and develop impulse control and
addiction disorders. Sexual dimorphisms in behavioral control by the mesolimbic …

Anabolic androgenic steroids have become a major class of drugs of abuse among a
growing population of male and female adolescents. Although the rewarding and reinforcing …