title: Methamphetamine mimics the neurochemical profile of aging in rats and impairs recognition memory.
abstract: Brain neurochemistry and cognition performance are thought to decline with age. Accumulating data indicate that similar events occur after prolonged methamphetamine (MA) exposure. Using the rat as a model, the present study was designed to uncover common alteration patterns in brain neurochemistry and memory performance between aging and prolonged MA exposure. To this end, animals were treated with a chronic binge MA administration paradigm (20mg/kg/day from postnatal day 91 to 100). Three-age control groups received isovolumetric saline treatment and were tested at the MA age-matched period, and at 12 and 20 months. We observed that both MA and aged animals presented a long, but not short, time impairment in novelty preference and an increased anxiety-like behavior. Neurochemical analysis indicated similar MA- and age-related impairments in dopamine, serotonin and metabolites in the striatum, prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. Thus, the present data illustrate that MA may be used to mimic age-related effects on neurotransmitter systems and advocate MA treatment as a feasible animal model to study neuronal processes associated with aging.
authors.affiliation: IBMC-Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal. pmelo@ibmc.up.pt
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Melo
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Magalhães
authors.forename: Cecília J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.forename: Maria Amélia
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Tavares
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: de Sousa
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Summavielle
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Moradas-Ferreira
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000523:psychology; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000187:drug effects*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000633:toxicity*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000187:drug effects*; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D012701:Serotonin; D008694:Methamphetamine; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid; D004298:Dopamine