Postnatal maturation of prefrontal pyramidal neurones is sensitive to a single early dose of methamphetamine in gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus).
The effect of a single methamphetamine application on postnatal maturation of the prefrontal cortex was studied using pyramidal cell morphology and spine density as parameters of systemic plasticity. Male gerbils were injected a single dose of methamphetamine (METH, 50mg/kg, i.p.) on postnatal day 14. On postnatal day 90, prefrontal cortices of METH-treated animals and saline-treated controls were processed for Golgi-staining. Dendritic arbours of layer III and V pyramidal neurones were measured to describe pyramidal cell morphology, and segmental spine counts were carried out. The results showed that a single postnatal METH-challenge significantly alters morphological differentiation of pyramidal cells towards adulthood. Cells from METH-treated animals showed a higher total dendritic length based on longer segments between subsequent dendritic branchings, with only the apical stem dendrite being shorter in METH-treated than in control subjects. The branching rate was slightly but not significantly increased in METH-treated animals. Nevertheless, spine density was significantly increased on all types of dendrites, with apical dendrites of both layers III and V showing the highest drug-induced progression of about 50% compared to control values. The present results are discussed with regard to probable clues they may provide for investigating neurobiological principles of psychotic behaviour in an animal model.
Department of Neuroanatomy, Faculty of Biology, University of Bielefeld, Federal Republic of Germany.
B
B
Blaesing
M
M
Nossoll
G
G
Teuchert-Noodt
R R
RR
Dawirs
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D001369:Axons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D048429:Cell Size / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D003712:Dendrites / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D015259:Dopamine Agents / Q000633:toxicity*; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005849:Gerbillinae; D008297:Male; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000633:toxicity*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000473:pathology; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology*; D016622:Silver Staining / Q000379:methods; D017557:Ventral Tegmental Area / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
D015259:Dopamine Agents; D008694:Methamphetamine; D004298:Dopamine