Abstract
This study investigated whether exposure to cocaine during two periods of postnatal development affects the acoustic startle response (ASR) in adulthood. Female rats received 50 mg/kg/day cocaine HCl or vehicle SC during either postnatal days 1-10 or 11-20. At 60-65 days of age, subjects were ASR tested for 30 min on 2 consecutive days. Overall, ASR was increased on day 1 compared to day 2. Also comparisons between groups within each session and injection schedule showed that subjects exposed to cocaine during postnatal days 1-10 exhibited increased ASR amplitude on the second day of testing compared to controls. No group differences in response latency were observed. Therefore, these data indicate that, for female rats, cocaine alters the development of the pathways involved in modification of the acoustic startle response in a way consistent with a disruption of long-term habituation, but that the critical period for this disruption in females is postnatal days 1-10 and not 11-20.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
