Methamphetamine and cocaine effects on dopamine neurons in a rat model of developmental stress and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Includes bibliographical references.Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a developmental disorder characterised by age-inappropriate levels of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity and is theorised to be caused by dopaminergic dysregulation. Developmental stress interrupts vulnerable periods of neural developmental and has also been found to induce disturbances in dopamine. ADHD and developmental stress are both associated with a higher risk of abusing psychostimulants; drugs that act on the dopaminergic system to elicit a sense of reward. Central to dopamine regulation is the dopamine transporter (DAT), which is responsible for the rapid reuptake of released dopamine and therefore the regulation of extracellul ar dopamine concentration. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of developmental stress and psychostimulant exposure on dopaminergic function, more specifically DAT, in a rat model of ADHD, the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) versus Wistar Kyoto (WKY) and Sprague-Dawley (SD) control strains