Influence of paradoxical sleep deprivation and cocaine on development of spontaneous penile reflexes in rats of different ages

Recent studies have established that paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD) and cocaine administration induce genital reflexes (penile erection and ejaculation) in adult and old rats. To determine whether the same effects would induce spontaneous genital reflexes in rats of different ages (30-90 days old), we administered cocaine (7 mg/kg) or saline to rats after a 4-day period of PSD, or at the equivalent time-point in control animals, and penile erection and ejaculation were then evaluated. In PSD rats administered with cocaine, erection was observed from 30 days old to 90 days old, when both genital reflexes reached a peak. Animals submitted to PSD and saline injection showed erection from 60 to 90 days old. None of the control (saline and cocaine) groups of any age displayed these behaviors. The effects of PSD on steroid hormone levels showed that, although testosterone levels increased with age, PSD caused a marked decrease in testosterone at all ages evaluated. Progesterone and corticosterone levels were higher in PSD groups than in the respective control groups. These findings suggest that the interaction of PSD and cocaine probably enhances dopaminergic transmission in the brain and may accelerate the development of genital reflexes in male rats. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.