Effects of postnatal cocaine exposure and environmental enrichment on rat behavior in a forced swim test

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2004

Authors

Magalhaes, A (Author) Other; Summavielle, T (Author) Other; Tavares, MA (Author) FMUP; de Sousa, L (Author) ICBAS

Journal

Title: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

Vol. 1025

Pages: 619-629

ISSN: 0077-8923

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 21 Citations

Scopus - 22 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Medical and Health sciences > Basic medicine

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-000-CHG

DOI: 10.1196/annals.1316.077

Abstract (EN): This study examined the effects of environmental enrichment on rats exposed to cocaine during the first month of life, in several categories of behavior observed in a forced swim test. Wistar rats were divided in four groups. The first included pups that were subjected to injections of cocaine hydrochloride (15 mg/kg body weight/day, subcutaneously, in two daily doses, from postnatal days I to 27) and reared in an enriched environment (CocEE); the second, pups that were subjected to injections of cocaine (as previously described) and reared in a standard environment (CocSE); the third, pups that were subjected to saline injections and reared in an enriched environment (SalEE); the fourth, pups that were subjected to saline injections and reared in a standard environment (SaISE). On postnatal days 26 and 27, rats were tested in a swimming pool in two 5-min sessions. The categories of behavior studied in this work were: fast swim, slow swim, struggling, diving, and immobility. Results showed that postnatal cocaine exposure decreased the time spent on fast swim during the two sessions and increased the immobility behavior during the second session in CocSE pups compared with SaISE pups. SalEE pups increased the time spent in fast swim, slow swim, and diving, and decreased the time spent in struggling and immobility during the two sessions compared with SaISE pups. CocEE animals spent more time in fast swim and struggling and less the time in immobility compared with CocSE pups. The present results suggest that postnatal cocaine exposure affects the ability of these animals to cope with stressful situations, and that environmental enrichment seems to enable the rats to adopt a more active strategy, one that allows them to better cope with this particular stress situation.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 11