title: Chronic caffeine produces sexually dimorphic effects on amphetamine-induced behavior, anxiety and depressive-like behavior in adolescent rats.
abstract: Caffeine consumption has been increasing rapidly in adolescents; however, most research on the behavioral effects of caffeine has been conducted in adults. Two experiments were conducted in which adolescent male and female rats were treated with a moderate dose of caffeine (0.25 g/l) in their drinking water beginning on P26-28. In the first experiment, animals were maintained on caffeinated drinking water or normal tap water for 14 days and were then tested for behavioral and striatal c-Fos response to amphetamine (1.5 mg/kg). In the second experiment, rats were maintained on caffeinated drinking water or normal tap water beginning on P28 and were tested for novel object recognition, anxiety in the light/dark test (L/D) and elevated plus maze (EPM), and depressive like behavior in the forced swim test (FST) beginning on the 14th day of caffeine exposure. Caffeine decreased amphetamine-induced rearing in males, but had no effect in females; however, this behavioral effect was not accompanied by changes in striatal c-Fos, which was increased by amphetamine but not altered by caffeine. No effects of caffeine were observed on novel object recognition or elevated plus maze behavior. However, in the L/D test, there was a sex by caffeine interaction on time spent in the light driven by a caffeine-induced increase in light time in the males but not the females. On the pretest day of the FST, sex by caffeine interactions were observed for swimming and struggling; caffeine decreased struggling behavior and increased swimming behavior in males and caffeine-treated females demonstrated significantly more struggling and significantly less swimming than caffeine-treated males. A similar pattern was observed on the test day in which caffeine decreased immobility overall and increased swimming. These data reveal sex dependent effects of caffeine on behavior in adolescent rats.
authors: Department of Psychology, Amherst College, Amherst, MA 01002, USA; Neuroscience Program, Amherst College, Amherst, MA 01002, USA. Electronic address: smturgeon@amherst.edu.
authors: Sarah M
authors: SM
authors: Turgeon
authors: Neuroscience Program, Amherst College, Amherst, MA 01002, USA.
authors: Shannon E
authors: SE
authors: Townsend
authors: Neuroscience Program, Amherst College, Amherst, MA 01002, USA.
authors: Rushell S
authors: RS
authors: Dixon
authors: Neuroscience Program, Amherst College, Amherst, MA 01002, USA.
authors: Emma T
authors: ET
authors: Hickman
authors: Neuroscience Program, Amherst College, Amherst, MA 01002, USA.
authors: Sabrina M
authors: SM
authors: Lee
mesh_terms: D000662:Amphetamines / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000139:chemically induced*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D002110:Caffeine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D003863:Depression / Q000139:chemically induced*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012727:Sex Characteristics
chemical_list: D000662:Amphetamines; D002110:Caffeine
keywords: Elevated plus maze; Forced swim test; Light/dark test; Open field test; c-Fos