Permanent alteration of central noradrenergic system by prenatally administered amphetamine.

NASIF, F., CUADRA, G. AND RAMÍREZ, O.

DEVELOPMENTAL BRAIN RESEARCH

Elsevier

Lugar: Netherlands; Año: 1999 vol. 112 p. 181 - 181

0165-3806

p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; mso-layout-grid-align: none">Amphetamine-induced psychosis is frequently associated with a chronic, high-dose, daily pattern of amphetamine exposure. In the present study we investigate the effects of prenatal exposure to amphetamine during the development of the central noradrenergic (NA) system in adult rats. Pregnant Wistar rats were given 4 mg/kg/day of D-amphetamine (AMPH), subcutaneously, from gestational day 8 to 21. No additional drug treatment was given to the animals until the beginning of the experiments, in adult, control and prenatally amphetamine treated rats. Since we study the electrophysiology and neurochemistry of the central NA system, we investigated the electric activity of locus coeruleus (LC) norepinephrine (NE) neurons and the levels of NE on prefrontal cortex. What we found, was a decr