Persistent vulnerability to heroin relapse across the adult lifespan in rats

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) 2026 Preprint Open access

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Authors: Rajtarun Madangopal, Olivia R. Drake, Diana Q. Pham, Veronica A. Lennon, Sophia J. Weber, Justine Lee, Adekemi Sobukunola, Ava R. Holmes, Omodolapo Nurudeen, Yavin Shaham, Bruce T. Hope
DOI: 10.64898/2026.03.18.712140
Cited by: 1
References: 14

Abstract

Relapse to opioid use during abstinence is often triggered by drug-associated cues but the persistence of this effect across the lifespan is unknown. Using a rat model, we found that relapse provoked by heroin-predictive discriminative stimuli persisted for over one year of abstinence, suggesting enduring, potentially lifelong opioid relapse vulnerability.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior Stress Responses and Cortisol Memory and Neural Mechanisms

Publication details

Journal / source
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
Publisher
openRxiv
Publication date
20 March 2026
Language
EN
Document type
Preprint