Bullying y adicción a drogas: estudio en modelos animales

Abstract

Abstract: Adolescence is a developmental period in which changes occur at physiological, cognitive, behavioral and psychosocial levels in humans. Our social environment exposes us to different situations that can disrupt our homeostasis, activating the stress response. In this work, we have employed animal models to synthesize and described the profile of long-term behavioral and neurobiological consequences of exposure to social stress during adolescence. The repeated social defeat (DSR) paradigm is considered a relevant ethologic model that closely mimics real life situations. Adolescent rodents exposed to this paradigm exhibited a long-lasting social profile comparable to that of depressed subjects, displaying subordinate behavior and less social interaction with peers. They also exhibited increased sensitivity to the reinforcing effects of alcohol and cocaine, proving to be more vulnerable to the reinstatement of said psychostimulant. At the neurobiological level, an alteration in the functioning of the blood brain barrier was detected, increasing its permeability. We also observed changes in different neurotransmission systems, including the dopaminergic and stress systems. To summarize, our results suggest that social stress experienced during adolescence produces significant neurobiological changes that increase the reinforcing effects of drugs, modifying behavior in adulthood.