Withdrawal

Drugs of abuse generate diverse behavioral and physiological effects. One feature common to many abused drugs is the phenomenon of “withdrawal,” which results from abrupt termination of drug administration. The initial phases of drug withdrawal, often referred to as the “crash” phase in humans, are characterized by dramatic psychological changes which may or may not be accompanied by somatic symptoms. The psychological symptoms, including disruptions in affect and cognition, are most commonly observed following psychostimulant withdrawal. This transient state strongly resembles the symptoms of major depressive disorder (MDD) in humans. The majority of rodent paradigms of psychostimulant withdrawal accurately model this human condition, and sophisticated preclinical protocols have been used to quantify psychological changes, such as anhedonia. In the present review, we describe past and current progress in modeling psychostimulant withdrawal in rodents, as well as potential limitations of this model.