Abstract

The effects of chronic cocaine administration on the locomotor rhythmic patterns of adult female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were recorded using an open-field testing assay. The animals were divided into four groups, control (saline), 3.0 mg/kg, 7.5 mg/kg, and 15.0 mg/kg i.p. cocaine group respectively. On experimental day (ED 1), all animals were treated with saline. On ED 2 to ED 7, either saline or cocaine (3.0, 7.5, or 15.0 mg/kg i.p.) was given followed by three days of no treatment (ED 8 to ED 10). On ED 11, rats were treated as they were on ED 2 to ED 7, i.e. either saline, 3.0, 7.5, or 15.0 mg/kg i.p. cocaine. The locomotor activities of rats were recorded for 23 hours daily, allowing one hour for the animal handling and injections, using open field cages with 16 infrared beams of motion detectors. Any breakages of these beams due to the movement of the animals were recorded and compiled by a computer and analyzed. It was observed that all three doses of repeated cocaine administration (3.0 mg/kg, 7.5 mg/kg, and 15.0 mg/kg i.p. cocaine) significantly alter the locomotor rhythmic activity patterns of the adult female SD rats, which suggest that repeated cocaine exposure modulates body homeostasis.

Highlights

  • Cocaine has been a consistently abused drug

  • The physiology of behaviors of living organisms is under circadian activity rhythms and controlled by endogenous biological clock that modulates its response to daily environmental cues [5]-[8]

  • Numerous central and peripheral biological clock genes are kept in sync to each other by a master clock, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) located in the anterior hypothalamus area which is considered as the master clock [8]-[10]

Read more

Summary

Introduction

Cocaine has been a consistently abused drug. The physiology of behaviors of living organisms is under circadian activity rhythms and controlled by endogenous biological clock that modulates its response to daily environmental cues [5]-[8]. The SCN, with other biological clocks, maintains body homeostasis by regulating physiological and biological processes, such as the sleep-wake cycle, locomotor activity, blood pressure, and more [8] [13]. Disturbances in such circadian activity rhythm patterns are associated with behavioral and physiological disorders

Methods
Results
Conclusion
Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call