title: Developmental lead exposure alters methamphetamine self-administration in the male rat: acquisition and reinstatement.
abstract: The rate of acquisition of drug self-administration and the return to drug seeking are important elements of the overall drug profile, and are essential factors in understanding risks associated with drug abuse. Experiment 1 examined the effects of perinatal (gestation/lactation) lead exposure on adult rates of acquisition of intravenous (i.v.) methamphetamine self-administration. Experiment 2 investigated the effects of perinatal lead exposure on drug-maintained responding in a reinstatement (relapse) paradigm. In Experiment 1, female rats were gavaged daily with 0 or 16 mg lead for 30 days prior to breeding with nonexposed males. Lead exposure continued through gestation and lactation and was discontinued at weaning (postnatal day [PND] 21). Male rats born to control or lead-exposed dams were tested daily as adults in an acquisition paradigm that incorporated both Pavlovian and operant components. An initial 3-h autoshaping period preceded a 3-h self-administration period. For 35 daily training sessions i.v. methamphetamine infusions [inf] (0.02 mg/kg) were paired with the extension and retraction of a lever (autoshaping), while inf occurred during self-administration only when a lever press was executed (FR-1). In Experiment 2 animals developmentally exposed to lead were trained on an FR-2 to self-administer methamphetamine (0.04 mg/kg/inf) and then placed on an extinction schedule prior to receiving intraperitoneal (i.p.) priming injections of saline, 0.50, 1.00, or 1.50 mg/kg methamphetamine. The findings from Experiment 1 showed that acquisition was delayed in rats born to lead-exposed dams gavaged daily with 16 mg lead throughout gestation and lactation when a 0.02-mg/kg/inf of methamphetamine served as the reinforcement outcome. Additional data from Experiment 2 indicated priming cues (injections of methamphetamine [i.p.]) administered after extinction were less likely to occasion a return to drug seeking (relapse) in the 16-mg group relative to the 0-mg control group. These results suggest perinatal lead exposure alters patterns of methamphetamine self-administration during the adult cycle.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
authors.forename: Angelica
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Valles
authors.forename: Gerald R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Bratton
authors.forename: Jack R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Nation
mesh_terms: D019969:Amphetamine-Related Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000523:psychology*; D000818:Animals; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D007854:Lead / Q000097:blood / Q000633:toxicity; D007855:Lead Poisoning / Q000097:blood / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012646:Self Administration
chemical_list: D007854:Lead; D008694:Methamphetamine