Cocaine Effects
Cocaine Effects - Related Videos
07:51
A Protocol for Measuring Cue Reactivity in a Rat Model of Cocaine Use Disorder
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Cited by 6 •
2018
Cue reactivity is conceptualized as sensitivity to cues linked with drug-taking experiences that contribute to craving and relapse in abstinent humans. Cue reactivity is modeled in rats by measuring attentional orientation toward drug-associated cues that results in appetitive approach behavior in a cue reactivity test following self-administration and forced abstinence.
08:54
A Procedure for Studying the Footshock-Induced Reinstatement of Cocaine Seeking in Laboratory Rats
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Cited by 14 •
2011
Animal models of relapse, known as reinstatement procedures, have been used extensively to study the role of stress in relapse to drug seeking. Here, we report on a method for inducing the reinstatement of cocaine seeking in laboratory rats via acute exposures to mild, intermittent electric footshock.
10:28
Assessment of Cocaine-induced Behavioral Sensitization and Conditioned Place Preference in Mice
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Cited by 19 •
2016
This protocol is intended to enable researchers to conduct experiments designed to test these aspects of addiction using the conditioned place preference and locomotor behavioral sensitization assays.
08:22
Stereotaxic Microinjection of Viral Vectors Expressing Cre Recombinase to Study the Role of Target Genes in Cocaine Conditioned Place Preference
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Cited by 2 •
2013
This article describes how to microinject viral vectors into mouse brain and then test in a conditioned place preference paradigm that includes an acquisition, extinction and reinstatement phase.
01:24
CNS Stimulants: Cocaine, Amphetamines and Cannabinoids
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2024
CNS stimulants, such as cocaine, amphetamines, and cannabinoids, have varying structures and mechanisms of action that lead to different therapeutic effects and side effects. Cocaine, with its molecular formula C17H21NO4, is a tropane alkaloid and a tertiary amino compound. It has two chemical forms: the hydrochloride salt and the "freebase." The former is in powder form, while the latter involves removing the hydrochloride salt to create a form that can be smoked. Cocaine exerts its effects by...
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The immediate stimulant response reflects transporter blockade: dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin remain active longer because their reuptake is reduced. This heightened signaling helps explain increased arousal, motivation, and reinforcement-related effects. As cocaine levels decline, the contrast between elevated signaling and its reduction contributes to the crash, making timing important when interpreting mood and behavior.
Repeated exposure can alter how cues acquire motivational significance. Signals associated with cocaine may become increasingly capable of triggering craving, while reward processing and stress processing change over time. This helps explain why compulsive use is not limited to acute euphoria: learned cue responses can continue to influence behavior even as anxiety, irritability, and sleep disruption emerge.
Psychologically, cocaine effects extend beyond pleasurable feelings because altered reward and stress processing can affect judgment, emotion regulation, and risk behavior. The same stimulant-related changes that increase motivation and arousal may also contribute to poorly evaluated choices. Studying these linked domains helps researchers connect neural signaling with observable cognition and behavior.
Researchers can examine cocaine effects across several outcome levels: mood and cognition, observable behavior, and bodily functioning. Comparing these domains helps distinguish a short-lived shift in energy or appetite from longer-lasting patterns involving craving, sleep, anxiety, or judgment. This broad assessment is relevant when evaluating both addiction-related changes and treatment outcomes.
Treatment-oriented research focuses not only on whether drug use changes, but also on the processes that maintain it. Cue-driven craving, compulsive use, stress processing, reward processing, and emotion regulation can reveal which psychological patterns remain problematic. These outcomes help frame treatment research around underlying mechanisms rather than mood change alone.
Within psychology, the topic provides a framework for studying how reinforcement, learning, and motivation interact with risk behavior. It can also connect changes in mood and cognition with later difficulties in emotion regulation, sleep, or judgment. This makes cocaine effects relevant to addiction research as well as broader work on decision-making and behavioral change.