PREMORBID BEHAVIORS PRODUCED BY COCAINE, ETHANOL AND COCAETHYLENE IN THE MOUSE

1. The premorbid behaviors produced by the administration of cocaine, ethanol, their combination, as well as a metabolite produced by their co-administration, viz. cocaethylene, were defined, determined and quantified in the HS strain of mice. 2. The LD(50) for ethanol was 9.71 g/kg in males and 9.45 g/kg in females, whereas the LD(50) values in male and female mice for cocaine were 101.55 and 90.00 mg/kg, respectively 3. The data indicate that clonic-tonic seizures continued into status epilepticus after cocaine administration and prior to cocaine-induced lethality. In contrast, administration of the cocaine-ethanol metabolite cocaethylene produced status epilepticus without producing clonic-tonic seizures yet still resulted in lethality. 4. Thus, both cocaine and cocaethylene may produce their lethal effects in mice through neuroregulatory mechanisms mediating protracted seizure induction.