INDEPENDENCE OF COCAINE SENSITIZATION AND AMYGDALOID KINDLING IN THE RAT

The reported sensitization to repeated administration of cocaine has been described as a type of pharmacological kindling resembling the seizure development seen with repeated electrical stimulation of certain brain sites. If these two phenomena share a common neural mechanism, prior chronic administration of cocaine would be expected to facilitate the process of subsequent electrical kindling. Rats were pretreated with saline or cocaine (40 mg/kg IP) daily for 21 days, followed by electrical stimulation of the basolateral amygdala. Progressive sensitization to the behavioural effects of cocaine administration occurred. However, no significant differences in the subsequent development of electrically kindled seizures were observed between the cocaine and saline-treated groups. These results suggest that cocaine sensitization and electrical kindling of the amygdala are subserved by independent neural mechanisms. © 1979.