Prenatal Cocaine Exposure: Long-Term Deficits in Learning and Motor Performance(a)

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
A G Romano, J A Harvey

Abstract

We have developed a rabbit model of in utero exposure to intravenous injections of cocaine given twice daily to dams from gestational days 8-29. At the doses employed (4 mg/kg, injected twice daily), no differences were found in the body weight gain of dams, time to delivery, litter size, and body weight or other physical characteristics of the offspring. However, cocaine-exposed pups displayed an abnormal structural and neurochemical development of the anterior cingulate cortex which persisted into adulthood. In agreement with the known functions of the anterior cingulate cortex, we found that adult, sexually mature rabbits, exposed to cocaine prenatally, demonstrate impairments in motor function, alterations in associative learning and severe impairments in discrimination learning. Moreover, the alterations in discrimination learning were interpreted to be due to deficits in attentional processes. Specifically, cocaine progeny preferentially attend to more salient stimuli even when these are not relevant to the task. Consequently they have difficulty in attending to less salient but relevant stimuli when more salient but irrelevant stimuli occur in the same context. We concluded that the learning deficits are a reflection of ...Continue Reading

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Citations

Aug 7, 2010·Human Brain Mapping·Zhihao LiXiaoping Hu
May 23, 2009·International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the International Society for Developmental Neuroscience·F Macho Sanchez-Simon, R E Rodriguez
Jun 28, 2016·Birth Defects Research. Part C, Embryo Today : Reviews·Melissa M MartinGregg D Stanwood
Dec 24, 2008·International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the International Society for Developmental Neuroscience·Marie PometlováRichard Rokyta
Sep 7, 2000·Neurotoxicology and Teratology·P J BushnellD M Warburton

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