Effects of different substance misuse in genital reflexes of paradoxical sleep deprived male rats

Abstract

As psychostimulants are widely abused, their neurochemical and behavioral effects have been extensively studied for many years. Our previous data demonstrate that paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD) enhances drug-induced penile erection and ejaculation. PSD in association to drugs of abuse like cocaine potentiated genital reflexes in male rats. In this sense, the present study investigated if three substances abused by young people--such as Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta(9)THC), alcohol and caffeine--had any significant effect on the genital reflexes in PSD rats. The results indicated that PSD induced erection in 50% of the rats and 20% ejaculated. In addition, there was no significant alteration in the number of animals exhibiting genital reflexes neither on the frequency of these behaviors when challenged with Delta(9)-THC or alcohol or caffeine after 96 h of PSD. These findings show that Delta(9)THC, alcohol and caffeine when administrated isolated did not produce alterations in genital reflexes in the PSD male rats.

Progesterone reduces erectile dysfunction in sleep-deprived spontaneously hypertensive rats

“…The reduction of this hormone may be related to an increase of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity, especially corticosterone concentrations, which are increased after sleep deprivation. Nevertheless, other classical stress procedures such as immobilization, swimming and footshock [34] or challenge with some illicit drugs in PSD were ineffective in inducing genital reflexes in rats [35]. Furthermore, the increased ACTH produced by stress may be responsible for an increase in progesterone levels [36].…”