Cocaine exposure during adolescence affects anxiety in adult mice.
Psychostimulant drugs such as cocaine have profound and long-lasting neurobiological effects, which may affect anxiety or social behaviors. These actions could be greater when cocaine is administered during a developmental period such as adolescence. The present work attempts to further clarify the long-lasting effects of cocaine administration on mice, examining three major variables: age; pattern of drug administration; and housing conditions. Adolescent (postnatal day 26) or early adult mice (postnatal day 46) were exposed to a daily or binge cocaine administration and 15 days later their behavior was evaluated, the mice being housed either in isolation or in groups during this stage. After a period free of drug, the behaviors evaluated were: spontaneous and cocaine-induced motor activity; anxiety, using the elevated plus maze; the social profile, assessed in a social interaction test. Daily cocaine administration increased avoidance and flee in isolated adolescent-treated mice and decreased social contacts in those which were grouped. On the other hand, the binge pattern modified the anxiety of the grouped adolescent-treated mice evidenced by the increase in time spent on the open arms of the plus maze. An increase in spontaneous and cocaine-induced motor activity was shown in animals after a daily pre-treatment. The results are discussed in terms of presenting cocaine-induced behavioral changes within a specific temporal window and depending on the three variables studied.
Estelles
Josefina
J
Unidad de Investigación Psicobiología de las Drogodependencias, Departamento de Psicobiología, Facultad de Psicología, Universitat de Valencia, Avda. Blasco Ibáñez 21, 46010 Valencia, Spain.
Lluch
Javier
J
Rodríguez-Arias
Marta
M
Aguilar
María A
MA
Miñarro
José
J
D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D003042:Cocaine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects
D003042:Cocaine