Cocaine-induced cerebral vasoconstriction differs as a function of sea andmenstrual cycle phase

Background: Chronic cocaine abusing women experience fewer cerebral perfusi on defects and less neuronal injury than men with comparable drug use histo ries, histories. assessed whether a basis for this discrepancy is a scr dif ference in cocaine's acute cerebrovascular effects. Methods: The subjects in this study were 13 healthy and neurologically norm al women reporting occasional cocaine mean 13, range 1-40 lifetime cocaine exposures es). All subjects were administered cocaine (0,4 mg/kg) intraveno usly:, during both the follicular (days 3-8) and luteal (days 18-24) menstr ual cycle phases, Dynamic susceptibility contrast magnetic resonance imagin g assessments of relative global cerebral blood volume (CBV changes were co nducted on both study days, 10 min after cocaine administration. Results: Cocaine din not alter CBV in follicular phase women, but reduced l uteal phase CBV by 10%, indicative of vasoconstriction (analysis of varianc e [ANOVA] F = 5,1, p < 0.5). Postcocaine CBV was lower in men administered the drug via at? identical protocol relative to follicular, phase women (AN OVA, F = 5.4, p < .04). Postcocaine CBV was also lower in the male referent group relative to luteal phase women, but this difference did not achieve statistical significance. No measurable SEX or menstrual cycle phase differ ences in cocaine's cardiovascular effects were noted. Conclusions: These findings suggest both menstrual cycle phase and sex diff erences in cocaine's acute cerebrovascular effects which may contribute to sex differences in the severity of brain dysfunction found in chronic cocai ne abusers. These findings imply that gonadal steroids ol the factors they modulate merit study as possible therapeutic agents for reducing cocaine-in duced cerebrovascular disorders. (C) 2001 Society of Biological Psychiatry.