Background Allergens tend to sensitize simultaneously. Etiology of this phenomenon has been suggested to be allergen cross-reactivity or concurrent exposure. However, little is known about specific allergen sensitization patterns. Objective To investigate the allergen sensitization characteristics according to gender. Methods Multiple allergen simultaneous test (MAST) is widely used as a sc...

The rate of habituation to food is inversely related to energy intake, and overweight children may habituate slower to food and consume more energy. This study compared patterns of sensitization, as defined by an initial increase in operant or motivated responding for food, and habituation, defined by gradual reduction in responding, for macaroni and cheese and pizza in overweight and non-overw...

Dyspnea is a prevalent and threatening cardinal symptom in many diseases including asthma. Whether patients suffering from dyspnea show habituation or sensitization toward repeated experiences of dyspnea is relevant for both quality of life and treatment success. Understanding the mechanisms, including the underlying brain activation patterns, that determine the dynamics of dyspnea perception s...

We investigated the behavioral and molecular interactions between cocaine and nicotine, through evaluating locomotor activity, nicotine intravenous self-administration and gene expression. Locomotor sensitization was induced in male Wistar rats by repeated cocaine (20 mg/kg; i.p.) or saline injections once a day over 7 days. Three days after the last injection, rats were challenged with either ...

We evaluated the effects of the smoking cessation aid varenicline and nicotine on brain activation, locomotor sensitization and cognitive functioning in rats. Blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) activation on fMRI was measured in awake adult male Sprague-Dawley rats in response to their first dose of varenicline 0.04 mg/kg administered intravenously and compared to saline controls. Other g...

introduction: topiramate is a newly anti-convulsant drug, which acts as nmda glutamate receptor antagonist as well as the gabab receptor agonist. it is used for physical dependence to opioids as well as cocaine, nicotine, alcohol and ecstasy dependence. in the present study attempts were made to further identification of the effects of topiramate on the acquisition and expression of morphine-in...

The question of addiction concerns the process by which drug-taking behavior, in certain individuals, evolves into compulsive patterns of drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior that take place at the expense of most other activities, and the inability to cease drug-taking, that is, the problem of relapse. In this paper we summarize one view of this process, the “incentive-sensitization” view, wh...

Ss were 40 male patients hospitalized on a psychiatric ward and defined as maladjusted and 40 male patients hospitalized on a medical-surgical ward and defined as adjusted. The medical and psychiatric groups were each composed of equal subgroups of low-competence repressers, low-competence sensitizers, high-competence repressers, and high-competence sensitizers. All Ss completed a social desira...