Perinatal cocaine reduces responsiveness to cocaine and causes alterations in exploratory behavior and visual discrimination in young-adult rats

摘要: Lister hooded female rats were exposed to either saline or cocaine (20 mg/kg s.c.) from gestational day 10 every other until weaning (postnatal 25). The effects of maternal exposure on novelty-induced exploration and spontaneous cocaine-induced motor activity evaluated in young-adult male offspring (4 weeks after weaning). Rats during development spent less time exploring two novel objects. Lack habituation upon the second presentation objects failure ability discriminate between familiar object also found offspring. Moreover, treatment did not affect (active time, average speed rearing) subjected an open field test. Furthermore, perinatal significantly attenuated acute (15 i.p.)-induced hyperactivity. These data indicate that developmental cocaine, at dose levels below those producing gross malformations and/or overt signs neurotoxicity, causes behavioral changes characterized by altered responsiveness environmental pharmacological challenges.