Prenatal cocaine dampened behavioral responses to methylphenidate in male and female adolescent rats
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Published on: February 18, 2016
Annelyn Torres-Reveron1, Diana L Dow-Edwards
1Program in Neural and Behavioral Sciences and Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, SUNY Health Sciences Center at Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York, USA. ant2013@med.cornell.edu
Insights
Prenatal cocaine exposure alters behavioral responses to methylphenidate (MPD) in adolescent rats. This study found sex-specific effects, with females showing dampened locomotion and males exhibiting reduced stereotypy when treated with MPD.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Prenatal cocaine exposure is linked to attention and arousal deficits.
- Methylphenidate (MPD) is a common treatment for attention disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of prenatal cocaine (PC) exposure on the behavioral effects of MPD in male and female adolescent rats.
- To determine if PC exposure alters responses to MPD-induced locomotion and stereotyped behaviors.
Main Methods:
- Pregnant rats received cocaine or vehicle via intragastric intubation during gestation.
- Offspring were tested for locomotion and stereotyped behaviors after MPD or saline administration.
- Behavioral responses were assessed in male and female rats between postnatal days 41-44.
Main Results:
- MPD increased locomotion in all rats compared to saline controls.
- PC-exposed males showed less low-intensity stereotypy than controls and females.
- PC-exposed females exhibited a blunted locomotor response to MPD compared to control females.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal cocaine exposure differentially affects behavioral responses to MPD in male and female rats.
- Locomotion responses to MPD were dampened in females, while stereotyped behavior was reduced in males.
- Findings suggest sex-specific neurodevelopmental consequences of prenatal cocaine exposure on stimulant medication efficacy.
Abstract:
Clinical and animal data point toward deficits in attention and arousal after prenatal cocaine exposure. Since methylphenidate (MPD) is widely used to treat attention disorders, we wanted to determine whether prenatal cocaine (PC) exposure affects the behavioral response to MPD in young rats of both sexes. Pregnant dams received 60 mg/kg of cocaine or vehicle from gestational days 8-22 by intragastric intubations. After delivery, litters were culled to 10 (5 males, 5 females) and fostered. On a single day between PND 41-44 locomotion was recorded in a Plexiglas box within an Accuscan activity monitor after receiving a single injection of 10 mg/kg intraperitoneally of MPD or saline. Rats were also videotaped for analysis of stereotyped behavior. Results showed that MPD administration enhanced locomotion compared to saline injected groups. PC exposure in male rats did not have any effect on the locomotor response to MPD compared to prenatal controls. However, PC-exposed males showed a lower amount of time spent in low intensity stereotypy compared to prenatal control males and both groups of females that received MPD. PC exposure in female rats that received MPD dampened the locomotor response compared to prenatal control females that also received MPD. In conclusion PC exposure dampens the behavioral response to MPD differentially in males and females with an apparent selectivity of locomotion in females and stereotyped behavior in males.
