title: Eating high fat chow enhances the locomotor-stimulating effects of cocaine in adolescent and adult female rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dopamine systems vary through development in a manner that can impact drugs acting on those systems. Dietary factors can also impact the effects of drugs acting on dopamine systems.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study examined whether eating high fat chow alters locomotor effects of cocaine (1-56 mg/kg) in adolescent and adult female rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cocaine was studied in rats (n = 6/group) with free access to standard (5.7% fat) or high fat (34.3%) chow or restricted access to high fat chow (body weight matched to rats eating standard chow).
  
  
  RESULTS
  After 1 week of eating high fat chow (free or restricted access), sensitivity to cocaine was significantly increased in adolescent and adult rats, compared with rats eating standard chow. Sensitivity to cocaine was also increased in adolescent rats with restricted, but not free, access to high fat chow for 4 weeks. When adolescent and adult rats that previously ate high fat chow ate standard chow, sensitivity to cocaine returned to normal. In adolescent and adult female rats eating high fat chow, but not those eating standard chow, sensitivity to cocaine increased progressively over once weekly tests with cocaine (i.e., sensitization) in a manner that was not statistically different between adolescents and adults.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results show that eating high fat chow alters sensitivity of female rats to acutely administered cocaine and also facilitates the development of sensitization to cocaine. That the type of food consumed can increase drug effects might have relevance to vulnerability to abuse cocaine in the female population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900, USA.
authors.forename: Michelle G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Baladi
authors.forename: Wouter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Koek
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aumann
authors.forename: Fortino
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Velasco
authors.forename: Charles P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: France
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D003042:Cocaine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004971:Estrus; D005260:Female; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D003042:Cocaine; D003345:Corticosterone