HPA axis SR Supplemental File

We hypothesized that the chronic administration of the novel GR receptor modulator CORT113176 during chronic sleep restriction (SR) and opioid abstinence would reveal important effects on the HPA axis giving insight into mechanisms of the interaction of SR and opioid abstinence. Using our rat model of persistent sleep loss during chronic opioid abstinence, we evaluated the effect of chronic CORT113176 administration on diurnal HPA axis dynamics and adrenal function, as well as the expression of critical mRNAs in the hypothalamic PVN and pituitaries in male and female rats. We concluded that the response of the HPA axis to CORT113176 during SR and opioid abstinence is not predictable by sex or sleep state because it can act both as an antagonist and agonist in the brain and pituitary, and an agonist in the adrenal gland in a sexually dimorphic manner.