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Drug cravings have different roots in men and women
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
Scientists from the Yale School of Medicine have concluded in a new study that stress leads to the development of cocaine addiction in women, unlike in men, for whom the main reason for the development of drug addiction is systematic drug use.
As it turns out, in drug-addicted women, stressful situations activate the same areas of the brain that are activated when taking drugs.
The results of the study were published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
"This study shows that treatment for people with drug addiction who experience stress-induced drug cravings and people whose drug cravings are induced by the drugs themselves should be different. It is important to understand the biological mechanisms underlying the development of addiction," said the study's author, Professor of Psychiatry Mark Potenza.
Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, the scientists scanned the brains of 66 people, 30 of whom suffered from cocaine addiction and 36 healthy people. The researchers found that when simulating stressful situations, people with addiction showed higher activation of brain areas associated with drug cravings compared to healthy people. Moreover, these activation patterns were noticeably different in men and women.
The results of the study showed that women with cocaine addiction could cope better with the disease by focusing their efforts on reducing stress, while cognitive behavioral therapy would have a good effect on men.