Cocaine use sensitizes which effects?

Cocaine use sensitizes which effects?

• A. Mood elevation
• B. Motor and convulsive effects
• C. Appetite suppression
• D. Sleep duration

Answer: (B)

When a drug shows sensitization, the body responds more strongly to each new dose after repeated use because the brain’s neuroadaptations amplify that drug’s effects. For cocaine, repeated exposure tends to amplify motor activity and can increase the risk of convulsions — this is the classic pattern of sensitized responses. Cocaine boosts dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin in key brain circuits, and with repeated use these systems become more reactive, especially in areas that control movement. That heightened motor activation, and the potential for convulsive events at higher doses, is the reason this option is the best match. Mood elevation and appetite suppression can show tolerance (decreasing effects with repeated use), and sleep duration effects are not typically described as sensitized.

When a drug shows sensitization, the body responds more strongly to each new dose after repeated use because the brain’s neuroadaptations amplify that drug’s effects. For cocaine, repeated exposure tends to amplify motor activity and can increase the risk of convulsions — this is the classic pattern of sensitized responses. Cocaine boosts dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin in key brain circuits, and with repeated use these systems become more reactive, especially in areas that control movement. That heightened motor activation, and the potential for convulsive events at higher doses, is the reason this option is the best match. Mood elevation and appetite suppression can show tolerance (decreasing effects with repeated use), and sleep duration effects are not typically described as sensitized.