Handling-induced enhancement of alcohol's acute physiological effects

Joanna Peris, Christopher L. Cunningham

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

45 Scopus citations

Abstract

A mild stressor (handling) exacerbated the acute effects of ethanol on heart rate and body temperature in rats. Although the tachycardia produced by the combination of ethanol and handling appeared to be due to a simple summation of the separate tachycardic effects of each condition, the thermal change represented a nonadditive combination of the separate effects. Specifically, although handling alone produced hyperthermia, it enhanced the hypothermia induced by ethanol. Blood and brain levels of ethanol were not altered by handling. Stress-induced enhancement of critical responses to ethanol may have important implications for the development of tolerance to and dependence on alcohol.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)273-279
Number of pages7
JournalLife Sciences
Volume38
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 20 1986

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics
  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Handling-induced enhancement of alcohol's acute physiological effects'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this