title: Neonatal Administration of Memantine Enhances Social Cognition in Adult Rats Subjected to Early Maternal Deprivation.
abstract: Schizophrenia is considered a neurodevelopmental disorder; however, all the available treatment options are used when the disease becomes clinically significant in adolescence or early adulthood. Using a developmental rat model of schizophrenia, we examined whether neonatal treatment with memantine, an NMDA receptor modulator, can improve schizophrenic-like symptoms in adulthood. Early maternal deprivation in rats produces deficits in social interaction behaviors in adulthood. In contrast, memantine administrated in neonatal rats subjected to early maternal deprivation significantly reduces deficits in social interaction behaviors in adulthood. These results raise the possibility that pharmacological treatment with memantine at the early developmental stage helps people with a risk to develop schizophrenic-like symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Biophysics and Neuroscience Center, Behavioral Neurobiology Laboratory, Biomedical and Technological Sciences, University of Carabobo, Valencia, Venezuela.
authors.forename: Ezequiel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Uribe
authors.affiliation: Biophysics and Neuroscience Center, Behavioral Neurobiology Laboratory, Biomedical and Technological Sciences, University of Carabobo, Valencia, Venezuela.
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Mendoza
authors.affiliation: Biophysics and Neuroscience Center, Behavioral Neurobiology Laboratory, Biomedical and Technological Sciences, University of Carabobo, Valencia, Venezuela.
authors.forename: Nayadoleni
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nieves
authors.affiliation: Biophysics and Neuroscience Center, Behavioral Neurobiology Laboratory, Biomedical and Technological Sciences, University of Carabobo, Valencia, Venezuela.
authors.forename: Gustavo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Merchor
keywords: Schizophrenia; developing brain; glutamate; neonatal; neuropharmacology; social cognition