Stress is a commonly reported precipitant of relapse to substance use. There is a growing
recognition of the need to understand psychobiological alterations in the stress response
among chronic drug users, and to determine how they may precipitate relapse. This paper
focuses on the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenocortical (HPA) response to stress among
dependent smokers. Nicotine acutely activates the HPA axis, and increased HPA activity has
been linked to attenuated CNS nicotinic receptor sensitivity. We will review a series of …