Differential development of the enhanced metabolic response during amphetamine sensitization

Chronic d-amphetamine depresses an imaging marker of arachidonic acid metabolism in rat brain

Acute d-amphetamine (d-Amph) administration to rats leads to the release of arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4n-6) as a second messenger following indirect agonism at dopamine D2-like receptors in the brain. We hypothesized that chronically administered d-Amph in rats also would alter brain AA metabolism and signalling. To test this, adult male rats were injected i.p. daily for 2 wk with saline or 2.5 mg/kg d-Amph. After a 1-d washout, the unanaesthetized rats were injected acutely with i.v. saline, 1 mg/kg quinpirole (a D2-like receptor agonist) or 5.0 mg/kg SKF-38393 (a D1-like receptor agonist), followed by i.v. [1-14C]AA. The AA incorporation coefficient k* (brain radioactivity/integrated plasma radioactivity), a marker of AA signalling and metabolism, was quantified using autoradiography in each of 62 brain regions. Compared with chronic saline, chronic d-Amph widely decreased baseline values of k* in brain regions having D2-like receptors. On the other hand, chronic amphetamine did not alter the k* responses to quinpirole seen in chronic saline-treated rats. SKF-38393 had minimal effects on k* in both chronic saline-treated and amphetamine-treated rats, consistent with D1-like receptors not being coupled to AA signalling. The ability of chronic d-Amph after 1-d washout to down-regulate baseline values of k* probably reflects neuroplastic changes in brain AA signalling, and may correspond to depressive behaviours noted following withdrawal from chronic amphetamine in humans and in rats.

Vitamin B6 deficiency decreases the glucose utilization in cognitive brain structures of rats

The effects of vitamin B(6) deficiency on metabolic activities of brain structures were studied. Male Sprague-Dawley weanling rats received one of the following diets: (1) 7 mg pyridoxine HCl/kg (control group); (2) 0 mg pyridoxine HCl/kg (vitamin B(6)-deficient group); or (3) 7 mg pyridoxine HCl/kg with food intake restricted in quantity to that consumed by the deficient group (pair-fed control group). After 8 weeks of dietary treatment, rats in all three groups received an intravenous injection of 2-deoxy-[(14)C] glucose (100 microCi/kg). Vitamin B(6) status was evaluated by plasma pyridoxal 5'-phosphate concentrations. The vitamin B(6)-deficient group had significantly lower levels of plasma pyridoxal 5'-phosphate than did the control and pair-fed groups. The local cerebral glucose utilization rates in structures of the limbic system, basal ganglia, sensory motor system, and hypothalamic system were determined. The local cerebral glucose utilization rates in each of the four brain regions in the deficient animals were approximately 50% lower (P < 0.05) than in the control group. Results of the present study suggest that serious cognitive deficit may occur in vitamin B(6)-deficient animals.

Preweaning cocaine exposure alters brain glucose metabolic rates following repeated amphetamine administration in the adult rat

Developmental cocaine exposure produces long-term alterations in function of many neuronal circuits. This study examined glucose metabolic rates following repeated amphetamine administration in adult male and female rats pretreated with cocaine during postnatal days (PND) 11-20. PND11-20 cocaine increased the response to amphetamine in many components of the motor system and the dorsal caudate-putamen, in particular, and decreased the metabolic response in the hypothalamus. While amphetamine alone produced widespread increases in metabolism, there were no cocaine-related effects in the mesolimbic, limbic or sensory structures. These data suggest that a brief cocaine exposure during development can alter ontogeny and result in abnormal neuronal responses to repeated psychostimulant administration in adulthood.

Amphetamine sensitization: nonassociative and associative components

Rats, pretreated with amphetamine (AMPH, 1 mg/kg) or saline for 2 weeks, were challenged with AMPH (0.5 mg/kg) or saline following 1 week of abstinence, and locomotion was measured. In Experiments 1 and 2, the pretreatment occurred in various contexts (home cage, novel box, test box). Sensitization was observed only when pretreatment context and test context were the same; a context switch abolished sensitization. When rats anesthetized with chloral hydrate were pretreated with AMPH, sensitization was completely dependent on the pretreatment, but independent of context. This "zero context" condition isolated the basal level of excitation attributable to unconditioned neural change to determine the role of contextual input to be a modulator that enhances or inhibits sensitization.