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Assessment of Cocaine-induced Behavioral Sensitization and Conditioned Place Preference in Mice
Published on: February 18, 2016
Emotion recognition during cocaine intoxication
K P C Kuypers1, L Steenbergen2, E L Theunissen1
1Department of Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology & Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Summary
Cocaine use impairs the recognition of negative emotions, particularly sadness. This effect depends on emotion intensity and the individual's cortisol response to cocaine.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Chronic cocaine use is associated with social skill deficits.
- The direct impact of cocaine on social cognition, independent of polydrug use, remains unclear.
- Cocaine's effects on stress responses (cortisol) and emotion recognition warrant investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cocaine's effect on emotion recognition in a controlled setting.
- To examine the relationship between cocaine-induced stress responses and emotion recognition deficits.
- To differentiate cocaine's effects from potential confounding factors like polydrug use.
Main Methods:
- A placebo-controlled, within-subject study involving 24 recreational cocaine users.
- Administration of oral cocaine (300 mg) or placebo, with testing 1-2 hours post-administration.
- Assessment of emotion recognition for basic emotions (fear, anger, disgust, sadness, happiness) at varying intensities, alongside cortisol and cardiovascular measurements.
Main Results:
- Cocaine significantly impaired the recognition of negative emotions, influenced by expression intensity.
- High-intensity anger and disgust recognition improved to placebo levels under cocaine, while sadness recognition worsened.
- Enhanced cortisol responses correlated with normalized performance for high-intensity anger and disgust recognition.
Conclusions:
- Cocaine impairs negative emotion recognition, with effects modulated by emotion intensity and individual cortisol reactivity.
- The study highlights cocaine's specific impact on social cognition, mediated by physiological stress responses.
- Findings suggest that cocaine's influence on emotion processing is complex and context-dependent.
