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Effects of different substance misuse in genital reflexes of paradoxical sleep deprived male rats
Author(s) -
ANDERSEN MONICA L.,
PERRY JULIANA C.,
PAPALE LIGIA A.,
TUFIK SERGIO
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.743
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1467-9450
pISSN - 0036-5564
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9450.2007.00552.x
Subject(s) - reflex , caffeine , ejaculation , neurochemical , psychology , sex organ , sleep deprivation , amphetamine , alcohol , physiology , medicine , psychiatry , chemistry , neuroscience , dopamine , cognition , biology , genetics , biochemistry
As psychostimulants are widely abused, their neurochemical and behavioral effects have been extensively studied for many years. Our previous data demonstrate that paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD) enhances drug‐induced penile erection and ejaculation. PSD in association to drugs of abuse like cocaine potentiated genital reflexes in male rats. In this sense, the present study investigated if three substances abused by young people – such as Δ 9 ‐tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ 9 THC), alcohol and caffeine – had any significant effect on the genital reflexes in PSD rats. The results indicated that PSD induced erection in 50% of the rats and 20% ejaculated. In addition, there was no significant alteration in the number of animals exhibiting genital reflexes neither on the frequency of these behaviors when challenged with Δ 9 ‐THC or alcohol or caffeine after 96 h of PSD. These findings show that Δ 9 THC, alcohol and caffeine when administrated isolated did not produce alterations in genital reflexes in the PSD male rats.