Elevated novelty seeking and peculiar d-amphetamine sensitization in periadolescent mice compared with adult mice

Novelty seeking as well as amphetamine sensitization were studied in adult (postnatal day "PND" > 60) and periadolescent (PND 3343) mice treated with saline or amphetamine (2 or 10 mg/kg once per day) for 3 days in a familiar environment. After a 48-hr wash-out period, mice were challenged with either saline or amphetamine (2 mg/kg) in the same environment. When given a choice, animals showed a preference for a novel environment, an effect more marked in periadolescents. Acute amphetamine strongly increased novelty seeking in adults, whereas it had an opposite effect in periadolescents. Adult mice in the chronic amphetamine 2 group showed a conditioned preference for the drug-paired compartment, whereas an aversion characterized adult mice in the amphetamine 10 group. Periadolescents in the latter group exhibited a greater sensitization of the locomotor response, but did not show the compulsive licking typical of adults. This appears to be a useful model to study psychobiological risk factors involved in vulnerability to addiction during human adolescence.