The Effects of Buprenorphine on Responses to Verbal Tasks

In this study, the investigators will examine the effects of buprenorphine, as compared to
placebo, upon physiological, subjective, and hormonal responses to a stressful speech task
and a non-stressful control task in healthy adults. There is strong evidence in support of
the role of endogenous opioids and opiates in mediating social behavior in humans and other
animals, and particularly, in social distress. Recently it has been shown that
buprenorphine, a partial mu-opioid agonist, reduces sensitivity to recognition of fearful
facial expressions in humans. Here, the investigators propose to further explore the role of
the opioid system in mediating stress responses in humans through the use of buprenorphine.
The investigators hypothesize that buprenorphine with reduce both physiological and
subjective measures of stress.