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Repeated neonatal phencyclidine treatment impairs performance of a spatial task in juvenile rats

R Sircar1, J W Rudy

  • 1Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461, USA. sircar@aecom.yu.edu

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|July 21, 1998
PubMed

Insights

Repeated postnatal blockade of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) channel using phencyclidine (PCP) in juvenile rats led to impaired spatial memory retention. These findings indicate long-term cognitive deficits from early-life NMDA receptor disruption.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors play crucial roles in synaptic plasticity and cognitive functions.
  • Disruptions in NMDA receptor activity during critical developmental periods may lead to lasting neurological consequences.
  • Phencyclidine (PCP) is a known non-competitive antagonist of the NMDA channel.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the long-term effects of repeated postnatal NMDA channel blockade on cognitive function in juvenile rats.
  • To determine if early-life exposure to PCP results in cognitive deficits observable in later developmental stages.

Main Methods:

  • Juvenile rats were administered phencyclidine (PCP) or saline intraperitoneally daily from postnatal Day 5 to Day 15.
  • Cognitive performance was assessed on Day 28 using the Morris water maze task to evaluate spatial learning and memory.
  • Behavioral data from PCP-treated and saline-treated control groups were statistically compared.

Main Results:

  • PCP-treated rats showed comparable performance to saline-treated rats on the initial day of Morris water maze testing.
  • On the second day of testing, PCP-treated rats exhibited significantly poorer performance compared to saline-treated controls.
  • This suggests an impairment in the ability to retain spatial information in rats exposed to chronic postnatal NMDA channel blockade.

Conclusions:

  • Chronic blockade of NMDA channels during the early postnatal period in rats impairs spatial memory retention.
  • These findings highlight the critical role of NMDA receptor function during development for establishing normal cognitive processes.
  • Postnatal NMDA channel blockade may serve as a model for understanding cognitive deficits associated with developmental disruptions.

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