Prenatal exposure to psychostimulants increases impulsivity, compulsivity, and motivation for rewards in adult mice.
Given the widespread use and misuse of methamphetamine (METH) and methylphenidate (MPD), especially in relation to women of childbearing age, it is important to consider the long-lasting effects of these drugs on the brain of the developing fetus. Male and female C57Bl/6J mice were prenatally exposed to METH (5mg/kg), MPD (10mg/kg), or saline. Following a 3-month washout, behavioral analysis using the 5-Choice Serial Reaction Time Task (5CSRTT) was performed on adult mice. After reaching training criteria, performance on a pseudo-random intertrial interval test session revealed decrements in 5CSRTT behavior. Prenatally-treated METH and MPD mice demonstrated significant increases in impulsivity, compulsivity, and motivation for reward compared to their saline controls. There were sex by drug interactions indicating a possible sexually dimorphic response to these prenatal drug exposures. Of particular clinical interest, we find that mice prenatally exposed to METH or MPD express characteristics of both inhibitory control decrements and heightened motivation for rewards, which represent core symptoms of addiction and other impulse control disorders.
['Lloyd|S A|SA|', 'Oltean|C|C|', 'Pass|H|H|', 'Phillips|B|B|', 'Staton|K|K|', 'Robertson|C L|CL|', 'Shanks|R A|RA|']
D000818:Animals D001522:Behavior, Animal D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants D003192:Compulsive Behavior D005260:Female D007175:Impulsive Behavior D008297:Male D008694:Methamphetamine D008774:Methylphenidate D051379:Mice D009042:Motivation D011247:Pregnancy D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects D012201:Reward
Impulsivity Compulsivity Reward Methamphetamine Methylphenidate Addiction