Cocaine-induced rotation: sex-dependent differences between left- and right-sided rats

Cocaine elicited dose-related rotation (circling) in naïve rats. The maximum effect was greater than observed previously with other drugs. Overall, females were more sensitive to cocaine than males. However, right-biased females were more sensitive than left-biased females, whereas left-biased males were more sensitive than right-biased males. The results suggest that sex-dependent differences in brain asymmetry may be an important determinant of cocaine sensitivity.