biostudies-literatureGarcia-Keller CNIDA NIH HHSFoundation for the National Institutes of Health1848-1856https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC8357931biostudies-literatureUnknown46(10)Exposure to acute stress can increase vulnerability to develop or express many psychiatric disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder. We hypothesized that stress-induced psychiatric vulnerability is associated with enduring neuroplasticity in the nucleus accumbens core because stress exposure can alter drug addiction-related behaviors that are associated with accumbens synaptic plasticity. We used a single 2-h stress session and 3 weeks later exposed male and female rats to stress-conditioned odors in a modified defensive burying task, and quantified both active and avoidant coping strategies. We measured corticosterone, dendritic spine and astrocyte morphology in accumbens, and examined reward sensitivity using a sucrose two-bottle choice and operant sucrose self-administration.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of NeuropsychopharmacologyBehavioral and accumbens synaptic plasticity induced by cues associated with restraint stress.PMC8357931F32 DA044782DA016511K99 DA047426R01 DA033049DA033049K99DA047426-01A1R00 DA047426Hopkins JLKalivas PWGarcia-Keller CKruyer AKearns AMHodebourg RCarter JSReichel CMfalseBehavioral and accumbens synaptic plasticity induced by cues associated with restraint stress.Exposure to acute stress can increase vulnerability to develop or express many psychiatric disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder. We hypothesized that stress-induced psychiatric vulnerability is associated with enduring neuroplasticity in the nucleus accumbens core because stress exposure can alter drug addiction-related behaviors that are associated with accumbens synaptic plasticity. We used a single 2-h stress session and 3 weeks later exposed male and female rats to stress-conditioned odors in a modified defensive burying task, and quantified both active and avoidant coping strategies. We measured corticosterone, dendritic spine and astrocyte morphology in accumbens, and examined reward sensitivity using a sucrose two-bottle choice and operant sucrose self-administration.2021-01-01T00:00:00Z2021 Sep2026-03-15T11:17:05.443Z2025-04-04T09:37:19.249ZS-EPMC83579313422665710.1038/s41386-021-01074-7