Ca²⁺ channel blockade reduces cocaine's vasoconstriction and neurotoxicity in the prefrontal cortex.

ABSTRACT: Cocaine profoundly affects both cerebral blood vessels and neuronal activity in the brain. The vasoconstrictive effects of cocaine, concurrently with its effects on neuronal [Ca²⁺]_i accumulation are likely to jeopardize neuronal tissue that in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) could contribute to impaired self-regulation and compulsive cocaine consumption. Here we used optical imaging to study the cerebrovascular and neuronal effects of acute cocaine (1 mg/kg i.v.) and to examine whether selective blockade of L-type Ca²⁺ channels by Nifedipine (NIF) (0.5 mg/kg i.v.) would alleviate cocaine's effects on hemodynamics (measured with cerebral blood volume, HbT), oxygenation (measured with oxygenated hemoglobin, HbO₂) and neuronal [Ca²⁺]_i

SUBMITTER: Du C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8421405 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature