title: Adolescent experience affects postnatal ultrasonic vocalizations and gene expression in future offspring.
abstract: The present study measured postnatal ultrasonic vocalization (USV) and gene expression to examine potential changes in communication and/or attachment in the offspring of mothers exposed to morphine during adolescence. Offspring of morphine-exposed (Mor-F1), saline-exposed (Sal-F1), or non-handled control (Con-F1) female Sprague-Dawley rats were tested for separation-induced distress calls and maternal potentiation of distress calls during early postnatal development. We also examined relative expression of dopamine D2 receptor and mu opioid receptor (oprm1) mRNA in the nucleus accumbens and hypothalamus in these offspring, as their activity has been implicated in the regulation of postnatal USV in response to maternal separation. The findings indicate that adolescent experiences of future mothers, including their 10 daily saline or morphine injections, can result in significant region-specific differences in gene expression. In addition, these experiences resulted in fewer numbers of separation-induced distress calls produced by offspring. In contrast, augmented maternal potentiation was only observed in Mor-F1 offspring. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 58:714-723, 2016.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, 200 Westboro Road, North Grafton, 01536, MA.
authors.forename: Caroline M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Bodi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, 200 Westboro Road, North Grafton, 01536, MA.
authors.forename: Fair M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Vassoler
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, 200 Westboro Road, North Grafton, 01536, MA. elizabeth.byrnes@tufts.edu.
authors.forename: Elizabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Byrnes
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D006234:Handling, Psychological; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D009020:Morphine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009294:Narcotics / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000378:metabolism; D017450:Receptors, Opioid, mu / Q000378:metabolism; D014828:Vocalization, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: C000607792:DRD2 protein, rat; D009294:Narcotics; C485765:Oprm1 protein, rat; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2; D017450:Receptors, Opioid, mu; D009020:Morphine
keywords: OPRM1; attachment; dopamine D2 receptor; morphine; opioids; postnatal development; rat; ultrasonic vocalization