Stress-induced relapse to heroin and cocaine seeking in rats: a review

Y Shaham, S Erb, J Stewart - Brain Research Reviews, 2000 - Elsevier
Studies in humans suggest that exposure to stress increases the probability of relapse to
drug use, but until recently there has been no animal model to study the mechanisms that
mediate this effect. We have developed a reinstatement procedure that allows us to study
the effect of stress on relapse to drug seeking in rats. Using this procedure, we have shown
that exposure to intermittent footshock stress reliably reinstates heroin and cocaine seeking
after prolonged drug-free periods. In the present paper, we summarize results from several …