Levandowski ML, Tractenberg SG, de Azeredo LA, De Nardi T, Rovaris DL, Bau CH, Rizzo LB, Maurya PK, Brietzke E, Tyrka AR, Grassi-Oliveira R. Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry 2016; 71: 83-89.
Affiliation
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab (DCNL), Biomedical Research Institute (IPB), Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Brazil.
BACKGROUND: Early life stress (ELS) and addiction are related to age-related diseases and telomere shortening. However, the role of telomere length (TL) in crack cocaine addiction remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the TL in a sample of crack cocaine dependent-women who reported an ELS history and in a community-based sample of elderly women as a reference group for senescence.
METHODS: This study included treatment seeking crack cocaine dependents women (n=127) and elderly women without a psychiatric diagnosis (ELD, n=49). The crack cocaine sample was divided in two groups according to their Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) scores: presence of history of childhood abuse and neglect (CRACK-ELS) and absence of ELS history (CRACK). TL was assessed by T/S ratio obtained from peripheral blood DNA using quantitative PCR assay.
RESULTS: CRACK and CRACK-ELS subjects exhibited shortened TL in comparison to the ELD group, despite their younger age. Among crack cocaine sample, CRACK-ELS group had significantly shorter telomeres than the CRACK group. Correlation analysis within crack cocaine group indicated that TL was negatively correlated with emotional abuse scores.
CONCLUSIONS: These results support previous findings associating telomere shortening with both ELS and drug addiction. This study suggests new evidence of a distinct biological phenotype for drug-dependent women with ELS. The results support the biological senescence hypothesis underpinning ELS experience.