The effect of prenatal MA exposure and crossfostering on functional changes in laboratory rat

The aim of our study was to investigate the impact of prenatal methamphetamine (MA) exposure and cross-fostering on development of rat pups during preweaning period and on behavior, anxiety, cognitive function and nociception in adulthood. Mothers were daily exposed to injection of MA (5 mg/kg) or saline (S) approximately for 9 weeks: three weeks prior to impregnation, throughout the entire gestation period and for 23 days of lactation. Control females (C) did not receive any injection. On postnatal day (PD) 1, pups were cross-fostered so that each mother received some of her own and some of the pups of mother with the other two treatments. We obtained 9 experimental groups (C/C, C/S, C/MA, S/C, S/S, S/MA, MA/C, MA/S, MA/MA). Pups were tested during postnatal development by means of following behavioral tests: negative geotaxis, tail pull, righting reflex on surface and in mid-air, rotarod and bar-holding and were examined for physiological maturation. In adulthood, males and females rats were tested in the Open field (OF) and in the Elevated plus maze (EPM) for behavior and anxiety and in the Plantar test for thermal nociception. Adult male rats were tested on cognitive function in the Morris water maze (MWM). In adult female rats, phases of the estrous cycle were recognized and compared. Our..