title: Subchronic treatment with phencyclidine in adolescence leads to impaired exploratory behavior in adult rats without altering social interaction or N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor binding levels.
abstract: Although both the onset of schizophrenia and human phencyclidine (PCP) abuse typically present within the interval from adolescence to early adulthood, the majority of preclinical research employing the PCP model of schizophrenia has been conducted on neonatal or adult animals. The present study was designed to evaluate the behavioral and neurochemical sequelae of subchronic exposure to PCP in adolescence. Male 35-42-day-old Sprague Dawley rats were subcutaneously administered either saline (10 ml · kg(-1) ) or PCP hydrochloride (10 mg · kg(-1) ) once daily for a period of 14 days (n = 6/group). The animals were allowed to withdraw from treatment for 2 weeks, and their social and exploratory behaviors were subsequently assessed in adulthood by using the social interaction test. To examine the effects of adolescent PCP administration on the regulation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs), quantitative autoradiography was performed on brain sections of adult, control and PCP-withdrawn rats by using 20 nM (3) H-MK-801. Prior subchronic exposure to PCP in adolescence had no enduring effects on the reciprocal contact and noncontact social behavior of adult rats. Spontaneous rearing in response to the novel testing arena and time spent investigating its walls and floor were reduced in PCP-withdrawn animals compared with control. The long-term behavioral effects of PCP occurred in the absence of persistent deficits in spontaneous locomotion or self-grooming activity and were not mediated by altered NMDAR density. Our results document differential effects of adolescent PCP administration on the social and exploratory behaviors of adult rats, suggesting that distinct neurobiological mechanisms are involved in mediating these behaviors.
authors: Department of Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Metaxas
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Willems
authors: E J M
authors: EJ
authors: Kooijman
authors: V A
authors: VA
authors: Renjaän
authors: P J
authors: PJ
authors: Klein
authors: A D
authors: AD
authors: Windhorst
authors: L Ver
authors: LV
authors: Donck
authors: J E
authors: JE
authors: Leysen
authors: B N M van
authors: BN
authors: Berckel
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001345:Autoradiography; D001526:Behavioral Symptoms / Q000139:chemically induced*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D006213:Hallucinogens / Q000633:toxicity*; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D010622:Phencyclidine / Q000633:toxicity*; D011485:Protein Binding / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors; D014316:Tritium / Q000493:pharmacokinetics
chemical_list: D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D006213:Hallucinogens; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D014316:Tritium; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate; D010622:Phencyclidine
keywords: adolescence; autoradiography; phencyclidine; schizophrenia