Behavioral effects of neonatal cocaine exposure using a rodent model

This study examined the effects of neonatal cocaine exposure on behavior using a rodent model. Rat pups were implanted with intragastric cannulas on postnatal day (PND) 4 and artificially reared (AR) from PND 4-10. The AR groups included two cocaine doses (20 mg/kg per day and 60 mg/kg per day) and an AR control. A sham surgery control group was also included that was reared naturally by its dam. Offspring from these neonatal treatment groups were examined for suckling performance (PND 13), passive avoidance learning (PND 23-24), activity (PND 18-21), or spontaneous alternation (PND 21). Neonatal cocaine exposure had no effect on suckling measures or passive avoidance learning. Activity was increased in the 60 mg/kg per day cocaine group relative to controls. In addition, spontaneous alternation was delayed in the 20 mg/kg per day cocaine-exposed females relative to all other groups. These data suggest that neonatal cocaine exposure may alter performance on some relatively simple tasks. More work is clearly warranted to look at the effects of neonatal cocaine exposure on more complex behaviors.