Neuroscience PhD student at CIBAP presents at the Panamerican Physiology Congress

On 29 November 2023, Daniela Cáceres Vergara, a fourth-year student in the Neuroscience Ph.D. programme at the Department of Chemistry and Biology, participated in the Panamerican Physiology Congress in Puerto Varas, Chile. With her poster titled "Effects of intrahippocampal vasopressin administration on amphetamine-induced addictive-like behavior and neurochemical effects on the reward circuit," Daniela presented findings on neurochemical differences between males and females in a rat model of addictive-like behaviour.

Following the intra-hippocampal injection of vasopressin, a modulating hormone for addictive-like behaviours, it was observed that, while both males and females did not exhibit amphetamine-induced addictive behaviour, only female rats showed a significant decrease in dopamine levels in the region known as the nucleus accumbens. These results are of interest as they suggest a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of addiction.