Postnatal cocaine exposure: Effects on behavior of rats in forced swim test

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2002

Authors

Ana Magalhaes (Author) Other; tavares, ma (Author) FMUP; Liliana de Sousa (Author) ICBAS

Journal

Title: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

Vol. 965

Pages: 529-534

ISSN: 0077-8923

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 10 Citations

Scopus - 10 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00J-Z3H

DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2002.tb04194.x

Abstract (EN): Exposure to cocaine in early periods of postnatal life has adverse effects on behavior, namely, it induces the display of anxiety and fear-like behaviors that are associated with stress and depression. This study examined the effects of early developmental cocaine exposure in several categories of behavior observed in forced swim test. Male and female Wistar rats were given 15 mg/kg of cocaine hydrochloride/body weight/day, subcutaneously, in two daily doses, from postnatal day (PND) 1 to PND27. Controls were saline injected in the same protocol. In PND26-PND27, rats were placed in a swimming pool during 5 min in two sessions. The categories of behavior studied in this work included horizontal and vertical rotation, vibrissae clean, head clean, fast and slow swim, struggling, floating, sliding, diving, head-diving, and wagging head. Results showed differences in the frequencies of several behavioral categories that allowed the discrimination of the behaviors that may constitute "behavioral despair" indicators, as well as which behaviors are most affected by cocaine exposure. Cocaine groups were less active and more immobile than controls. These results suggest that postnatal exposure to cocaine can produce depression-like effects and affect the ability of these animals to cope with stress situations.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 6