Behavioral characterization of adult male and female rhesus monkeys exposed to cocaine throughout gestation.
BACKGROUND
In utero cocaine exposure has been associated with alterations in the dopamine (DA) system in monkeys. However, the behavioral outcomes of prenatal cocaine exposure in adulthood are poorly understood.


OBJECTIVE
To assess several behavioral measures in 14-year-old rhesus monkeys exposed to cocaine in utero and controls (n = 10 per group).


METHODS
For these studies, two unconditioned behavioral tasks, novel object reactivity and locomotor activity, and two conditioned behavioral tasks, response extinction and delay discounting, were examined. In addition, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were analyzed for concentrations of the monoamine metabolites homovanillic acid (HVA) and 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA).


RESULTS
No differences in CSF concentrations of 5-HIAA and HVA, latencies to touch a novel object or locomotor activity measures were observed between groups or sexes. However, prenatally cocaine-exposed monkeys required a significantly greater number of sessions to reach criteria for extinction of food-reinforced behavior than control monkeys. On the delay-discounting task, male prenatally cocaine-exposed monkeys switched preference from the larger reinforcer to the smaller one at shorter delay values than male control monkeys; no differences were observed in females.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that prenatal cocaine exposure results in long-term neurobehavioral deficits that are influenced by sex of the individual.
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, 546 NRC, Medical Center Blvd, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1083, USA.
Lindsey R
LR
Hamilton
Paul W
PW
Czoty
Michael A
MA
Nader
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D003042:Cocaine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006719:Homovanillic Acid / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D012055:Reinforcement Schedule; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors
D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid; D003042:Cocaine; D006719:Homovanillic Acid