Cocaine and Body Temperature in the Rat: Effects of Ambient Temperature

Vol. 40, No. 2, 1990

Free Abstract Article (PDF 2468 KB)

Original Paper

Cocaine and Body Temperature in the Rat: Effects of Ambient Temperature
Peter Lomax, Keri A. Daniel

Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine and Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Calif, USA

Address of Corresponding Author

Pharmacology 1990;40:103-109 (DOI: 10.1159/000138648)

Key Words

Cocaine
Body temperature
Ambient temperature
Tolerance

Abstract

The laboratory rat is being developed as a model to determine whether abuse of cocaine constitutes a risk factor in the pathogenesis of stress or exertion-induced heatstroke. Under thermoneutral conditions (T_a 20°C) cocaine (10-40 mg/kg i.p.) caused a dose-dependent fall in core temperature ranging from 0.45 ± 0.18 to 1.77 ± 0.26°C. When the ambient temperature (T_a) was increased to 35°C, cocaine (10-40 mg/kg i.p.) led to a dose-dependent hyperthermia (0.3 ± 0.08 to 1.43 ± 0.43°C). Repeated injection of cocaine (40 mg/kg at T_a 20°C or 20 mg/kg at T_a 40°C) on days 1, 3, 8, 15, and 23 did not alter the magnitude of the temperature change compared to that following the first injection, i.e., neither tolerance nor potentiation occurred.

Author Contacts

Dr. Peter Lomax, Department of Pharmacology, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1735 (USA)

Article Information

Received: August 15, 1989
Accepted: November 8, 1989
Published online: June 05, 2008
Number of Print Pages : 7

This journal is part of the second subject package of the Karger

Journal Archive Collection

Information on packages (PDF)
Free sample issues

For non-native English speakers and international authors who would like assistance with their writing before submission, we suggest American Journal Experts for their scientific editing service.