Increased functional response to cocaine challenge following recovery from chronic corticosterone in the rat

Several lines of evidence suggest an interaction between glucocorticoids and the rat brain dopaminergic system. Here we demonstrate that a 14-day period of recovery from chronic corticosterone (10 mg/day for 21 consecutive days) potentiates the functional response to acute cocaine challenge in the rat by producing selective metabolic changes in limbic and motor areas, that are not measurable in vehicle-pretreated rats. These data indicate that chronic corticosterone has a long-term facilitatory role in the central effects of cocaine.