Nevertheless – for any who were there and interested in the papers I mentioned, I recommend the following as very interesting reading, and potentially interesting research areas in the future. Some of them are quite heavy on neurobiology terminology, but the Enoch paper (2011) gives a really nice overview of current thinking and is a little more accessible. The list below is just a snapshot of some of the papers I used for my own research, and if they interest you, and you have access to something like Web of Science, I suggest searching for papers which concern early life stress and addiction, as there is a wealth of information there.

Papers:

Enoch, M, 2011, ‘The role of early life stress as a predictor for alcohol and drug dependence’, Psychopharmacology, 214, 1, pp. 17-31.

Lemaire, V, Lemarque, S, Le Moal, M, Piazza, P, Abrous D N, 2006, ‘Postnatal stimulation of the pups counteracts prenatal stress-induced deficits in hippocampal neurogenesis’, Biological Psychiatry, 59, 9, pp 786-792

Rodrigues, A, Leão, P, Carvalho, M, Almeida, O, & Sousa, N, 2011, ‘Potential programming of dopaminergic circuits by early life stress’, Psychopharmacology, 214, 1, pp. 107-120.

Silvagni, A, Barros, V, Mura, C, Antonelli, M, & Carboni, E 2008, ‘Prenatal restraint stress differentially modifies basal and stimulated dopamine and noradrenaline release in the nucleus accumbens shell: an ‘ in vivo’ microdialysis study in adolescent and young adult rats’, European Journal of Neuroscience, 28, 4, pp. 744-758.

Van Waes, V, Enache, M, Berton, O, Vinner, E, Lhermitte, M, Maccari, S, & Darnaudéry, M 2011, ‘Effect of prenatal stress on alcohol preference and sensitivity to chronic alcohol exposure in male rats’, Psychopharmacology, 214, 1, pp. 197-208

Yang, J, Hou, C, Ma, N, Liu, J, Zhang, Y, Zhou, J, Xu, L, & Li, L. 2007. ‘Enriched environment treatment restores impaired hippocampal synaptic plasticity and cognitive deficits induced by prenatal chronic stress’, Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 87, 2, pp 257-263

Inane conversation depends entirely on my mood – sometimes I encourage it, sometimes I despise it.

The smell and feel of a black cab, I love, I still find it both a novelty and a luxury, but maybe it’s just that even after five years in England, I still feel like a tourist. If the driver has an East End accent, even better. I don’t think I’ll ever find travelling by black cab a chore.

And the feeling of getting into a cab on a cold night and being whisked safely and quickly home – marvellous. Though, I’ll admit, when I’m with company it’s pure joy (and half the price), if I’m alone, it’s a stressful initial ten minutes, then a joy as soon as I realise the driver is decent and I’m not going to have to make a run for it. I generally tip them a fiver for not trying to maul me, after midnight. Money well spent.