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Updated: Jun 22, 2026

A Protocol for Measuring Cue Reactivity in a Rat Model of Cocaine Use Disorder
Published on: June 18, 2018
Mechanisms of acute cocaine toxicity
Kennon Heard1, Robert Palmer, Nancy R Zahniser
1Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center, Denver Health.
Abstract:
Patients with acute cocaine poisoning present with life-threatening symptoms involving several organ systems. While the effects of cocaine are myriad, they are the result of a limited number of cocaine-protein interactions, including monoamine transporters, neurotransmitter receptors and voltage-gated ion channels. These primary interactions trigger a cascade of events that ultimately produce the clinical effects. The purpose of this article is to review the primary interactions of cocaine and the effects that these interactions trigger. We also describe the progression of symptoms observed in cocaine poisoning as they relate to serum cocaine concentrations.
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