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Updated: Aug 9, 2026
Protocol for Three-dimensional Confocal Morphometric Analysis of Astrocytes
Published on: December 11, 2015
Evidence of astrogliosis in rat hippocampus after d-amphetamine exposure
Benício N Frey1, Ana C Andreazza, Keila M Ceresér
1Department of Biochemistry, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Introduction:
Psychostimulants such as amphetamine (AMPH) induce manic-like symptoms in humans and studies have suggested that bipolar disorder (BD) may be associated to dopamine dysfunction. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) up-regulation is considered a marker of astrogliosis, and it has been associated to behavioral sensitization.
Purpose:
We aimed to investigate the behavioral effects of acute and chronic AMPH on rat locomotion and assess GFAP levels in rat cortex and hippocampus.
Methods:
Rats were administered either acute (single dose) or chronic (seven days) d-amphetamine IP injection. Locomotion was assessed with an open-field test and GFAP immunoquantity was measured using ELISA.
Results:
Chronic, but not acute, administration of AMPH increased GFAP levels in rat hippocampus. No differences were observed in rat cortex.
Conclusions:
Repeated exposure to AMPH leads to an astroglial response in the hippocampus of rats.
