Acute cocaine treatment decreases oxytocin levels in the rat hippocampus.

We examined the effects of an acute cocaine treatment on oxytocin levels in the whole hippocampus, ventral tegmental area (VTA) and amygdala in ovariectomized rats pretreated with 10 micrograms estradiol benzoate. Cocaine treatment significantly reduced oxytocin levels both in picograms/area and picograms/mg wet weight in the hippocampus but had no significant effect on levels in the VTA and amygdala. These data represent the first evidence for the reduction of oxytocin levels as a result of an acute cocaine treatment.