title: Increased locomotor response to amphetamine, but not other psychostimulants, in adult mice submitted to a low-protein diet.
abstract: Protein malnutrition results in a variety of brain dysfunctions, ultimately affecting cognitive functions. The effects of protein malnutrition in brain response to psychostimulants have been less studied in adult animals. We therefore aimed to study the response to psychoactive drugs on the locomotor activity (a behavior paradigm) of adult protein malnourished mice. Two-month-old mice were divided in two groups: (a) low-protein group (LP), which received 6% of protein diet, and (b) a control group that received a 25% of protein diet. After 3 months, they were tested for locomotor activity after an i.p. injection of one of psychoactive drugs: D-amphetamine (5.0 mg/kg), apomorphine (2.0 mg/kg), dizocilpine (0.25 mg/kg), or caffeine (30 mg/kg). Mice submitted to the LP diet presented prolonged induction of hyperlocomotion caused by amphetamine (about 350% between 90 and 180 min post drug injection as compared with well-nourished mice, p<0.01) but presented unaltered response to apomorphine, caffeine, and dizocilpine. These data point to altered catecholamine metabolism induced by protein restriction in adult mice. The results are discussed based on previous works, presenting theoretical hypotheses about the possible mechanisms involved in the present findings.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica, ICBS, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil. dietrich.mo@terra.com.br
authors.forename: Marcelo O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Dietrich
authors.forename: Carlos E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Mantese
authors.forename: Gabriel M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Dos Anjos
authors.forename: Liane N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Rotta
authors.forename: Marcos L S
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.forename: Diogo O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.forename: Diogo R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Lara
mesh_terms: D000661:Amphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001058:Apomorphine / Q000494:pharmacology; D002110:Caffeine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004032:Diet; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate / Q000494:pharmacology; D018491:Dopamine Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects*; D011502:Protein-Energy Malnutrition / Q000523:psychology*; D058915:Purinergic P1 Receptor Antagonists; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D018491:Dopamine Agonists; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D058915:Purinergic P1 Receptor Antagonists; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D002110:Caffeine; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate; D000661:Amphetamine; D001058:Apomorphine