Chapter 29: An in vitro study on increased neuronal and astrocytic vulnerability to neurotoxic injury after in utero cocaine exposure: the reversal effects of GM1 treatment

Abstract

The chapter describes in vitro studies to ascertain the CNS vulnerability to injury of rats born to cocaine-exposed dames (CED). Neuronal and astrocytic cultures are obtained from fetuses of CEDs. The assessment of vulnerability to neurotoxic injury was by means of cell swelling analyses. This was based on the observations that astrocytes swell in a number of pathological states like hypoxia, trauma, or ischemia. One of the mechanisms that cause astrocytic swelling was due to high extracellular K + released into the extracellular compartments of the brain reaching concentrations between 50 and 80 mM after injury. The neuroprotective effects of GMl in the reduction of CNS damage associated with cocaine induced in utero hypoxia was also assessed. Three groups of rats were used: progeny from: (1) control dames; (2) cocaine-exposed dames; and (3) cocaine + GMl-exposed dames. This present study was conducted in concomitance with a behavioral study where it was shown that neonates born to CEDs had reduced ultrasonic vocalization rates and nipple attachment latencies, and increased activity levels. However, pups born from GMl-treated CEDs did not exhibit these behavioral dysfunctions. The cocaine exposure resulted in changes in some of the cellular transport mechanisms in both astrocytes and cortical neurons of the offspring.