The effect of early environmental manipulation on locomotor sensitivity and methamphetamine conditioned place preference reward

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-15-2014

Publication Title

Behavioural Brain Research

Volume

268

First page number:

66

Last page number:

71

Abstract

Early life stress leads to several effects on neurological development, affecting health and well-being later in life. Instances of child abuse and neglect are associated with higher rates of depression, risk taking behavior, and an increased risk of drug abuse later in life. This study used repeated neonatal separation of rat pups as a model of early life stress. Rat pups were either handled and weighed as controls or separated for 180 min per day during postnatal days 2–8. In adulthood, male and female rats were tested for methamphetamine conditioned place preference reward and methamphetamine induced locomotor activity. Tissue samples were collected and mRNA was quantified for the norepinephrine transporter in the prefrontal cortex and the dopamine transporter in the nucleus accumbens. Results indicated rats given methamphetamine formed a conditioned place preference, but there was no effect of early separation or sex. Separated males showed heightened methamphetamine-induced locomotor activity, but there was no effect of early separation for females. Overall females were more active than males in response to both saline and methamphetamine. No differences in mRNA levels were observed across any conditions. These results suggest early neonatal separation affects methamphetamine-induced locomotor activity in a sex-dependent manner but has no effects on methamphetamine conditioned place preference.

Keywords

DAT; Dopamine transporter; Glucocorticoid receptors; GR; HPA-axis; hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis; PND; Postnatal day; NET; Norepinephrine transporter

Disciplines

Behavioral Disciplines and Activities | Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms | Medicine and Health Sciences | Psychiatry and Psychology

Language

English

Permissions

Use Find in Your Library, contact the author, or interlibrary loan to garner a copy of the item. Publisher policy does not allow archiving the final published version. If a post-print (author's peer-reviewed manuscript) is allowed and available, or publisher policy changes, the item will be deposited.

UNLV article access

Search your library

Share

COinS