Association of Cytokine Production with Hormone Level and Sensory Responses during the Formation of Psychoactive Drug Addiction in Men

Abstract

We performed immunophysiological examination of 144 men aged 17-25 years, patients with psychoactive substance dependence, episodic psychoactive drug users, and conditionally healthy individuals. Associations of proinflammatory cytokine production with age, sex, hormone levels, and olfactory and nociceptive indices were revealed in cases of psychoactive drug use and formation of addiction. Predictive models based on the use of androstenone aversion, pressure algometry testing, and immunological parameters were proposed.

Role of olfactory reactions, nociception, and immunoendocrine shifts in addictive disorders

“…Systemic nature of sensory deviations in addicts can be supposed because immune system is frequently considered as a sensory system and on the immunocompetent cells the olfactory receptors were detected . Our research ascertained that non‐aversive estimation of isopropanol is accompanied by elevation of mitogen‐induced production of interleukin‐6 in addicted patient …”

“…Interleukin1‐beta is able to exert influence on nociceptive behavior causing both hyperalgesia and analgesia respective from regional features of impact on hypothalamus . Furthermore, our data on negative correlation between testosterone level and production of pro‐inflammatory cytokines and its negative interrelationship with pain sensitivity in substance dependent persons are available …”

“…Patients in comparison with conditionally healthy persons were characterized by major frequency of smokers (90.6% vs 20.0%, p < 05) (χ 2 ‐criterion), older age (26.9 ± 7.0 vs 19.4 ± 2.7, p < 05), absence of differences in height (177.9 ± 6.5 vs 175.6 ± 6.2, p = .08) (independent t ‐test). As far as it was shown previously that there are immunosensory and sensory‐endocrine interrelationships in addicted male patients, so study of neuroimmunoendocrine interrelationships was conducted only in males. Total clinical‐demographic characteristic of male persons with mental and behavioral disorders due to psychoactive substance use is shown in Table .…”

“…Pain thresholds were evaluated by pressure algometry (30 minutes after olfactometry and EEG‐examination) . Minimum pain sensation which the subject was able to recognize (lower pain threshold) and pain tolerability threshold (upper pain threshold) were measured by finger‐closed plastic syringe.…”

“…This is associated with low innate activity of reward systems located in brain reticulo‐hypothalamic, mesostriatal, limbic‐neocortical structures where dopamine is of crucial significance . In addictive male subjects, an unusual olfactory addiction is combined with changes of pain sensitivity as well as immune deviations …”