Coping and the stress-induced potentiation of stimulant stereotypy in the rat.

It has been shown that stressed rats display increased stereotypy in response to a subsequent amphetamine challenge. Evidence is presented showing that stress potentiates cocaine stereotypy as well. These effects of stress were found to be particular to stress that could not be controlled in that rats receiving an identical amount of stress from footshock, but allowed to control its duration, displayed no more stereotypy than did nonstressed rats. These findings have implications for the role of stress and coping in amphetamine and cocaine psychoses, endogenous psychoses, and some forms of schizophrenia.