Cardiovascular Effects of Cocaine and Behavioral Stress

Catalog description

Studies will be undertaken to describe the cardiovascular effects of cocaine and of behavioral stress. We have noted that rats do not respond similarly such that some are more prone to adverse cardiovascular outcomes with cocaine or stress. We will study regional hemodynamics, sympathetic nerve responses and cardiac function in rats. The CNS pathways and neurotransmitters responsible for response variability will be examined. The student will conduct experiments on rats, analyze data and prepare a summary of the findings.