Diet influences cocaine withdrawal behaviors in the forced swimming test

Abstract

The effects of drugs of abuse might depend on several environmental factors, among them the individual's feeding habits. It was our objective to study the influence of the diet on cocaine acute behavioral effects and during the first 5 days of withdrawal after prolonged treatment. Rats were fed a balanced diet, high-protein diet, high-carbohydrate diet or high-fat diet from weaning to adulthood. Adult rats were injected with 15 mg/kg cocaine 24, 5 and 1 h before the forced swimming retest or the drug was administered daily during 15 days and the animals were evaluated in the forced swimming test on five daily occasions after drug withdrawal. Diets alone did not induce significant behavioral differences in locomotion, immobility, swimming, climbing or head shakes. Acute cocaine reduced immobility during the forced swimming test and increased locomotion demonstrating a nonspecific antiimmobility effect related to hyperactivity. Acute cocaine reduced head shakes of rats fed high-protein and high-carbohydrate diets. After cocaine withdrawal, head shakes were decreased for rats fed any of the diets and rats were more immobile if fed a high-fat diet and were less immobile if fed a high-protein or high-carbohydrate diet. In conclusion, differences in the amounts of macronutrients in the diet may cause different behavioral outcomes after acute cocaine and during cocaine withdrawal.