PCE causes abnormal behaviors. (A) The latency for removing the tail from warm water was higher in cocaine-exposed mice over three trials, while the flick-latencies of saline and SPF mice were similar (p=0.48, Mann-Whitney). For panels A and C, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001 for cocaine compared with saline or SPF, Mann-Whitney test. (B) Saline, SPF and cocaine-exposed mice spent a similar amount of time on the rotarod over the first 15 trials (p=0.1, t-test), but the falling latency decreased in cocaine mice after trial 15, while latencies of saline and SPF mice increased. For panels B, D, and E, *p<0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001 for cocaine compared with either saline or SPF mice, t-test. (C) Instead of falling, some mice would grip onto, and rotate with the rod. Cocaine mice gripped the rotarod more than saline or SPF mice, while there was no difference between the SPF and saline control groups (p=0.1, Mann-Whitney). (D) Open-field ambulations of saline, SPF and cocaine-exposed mice were similar on test day 1. A saline injection, administered immediately following the first test increased ambulations in cocaine-exposed mice on test day 2. (E) Saline, SPF, and cocaine mice were treated with saline for 2 days and then received amphetamine (2 mg/kg, i.p.) for 5 consecutive days. Mice were later challenged with amphetamine on days 10 and 28. Locomotor activity measured for 90 min following each amphetamine treatment revealed no stereotypic behaviors (data not shown). Locomotor activity increased in response to repeated amphetamine in all treatment groups. Ambulations in saline and SPF mice remained similar throughout testing (p=0.07, repeated-measures ANOVA). Cocaine-exposed mice demonstrated reduced ambulations on experiment days 4–7, but not following a drug challenge in withdrawal (days 10 and 28), as locomotor activity was similar in all groups (p=0.1, ANOVA). (F) When suspended by the tail, saline, SPF, and cocaine-exposed mice showed an equivalent increase in immobility over time, as there was no significant Treatment*Time effect (p=0.16, two-way ANOVA). These groups of mice also spent a similar amount of time immobile at most time points during the test (min 1, 2, 4, and 6). However, compared to saline, both cocaine and SPF mice spent a longer time immobile during min 3 and min 5. *p=0.03 and **p=0.01 for saline compared to either SPF or cocaine mice, t-test.