Authors: Mahin Shahbazi Aimee M Moffett Bonnie F Williams Kyle J Frantz
Publish Date: 2007/10/06
Volume: 196, Issue: 1, Pages: 71-81
Abstract
Recreational drug use peaks in the developmental stage of adolescence and exposure to drugs during adolescence may predict drug dependence in adulthood Nevertheless adolescent drug vulnerability is not widely studied in animal models of drug intake and very few studies have investigated sex differences in drugrelated behavior during adolescenceAfter surgical implantation of iv catheters adolescent postnatal day P 35–52 and adult P90–106 male and female rats were allowed to acquire leverpressing behavior reinforced by either 0025 or 005 mg/kg/01ml amphetamine infusions over 14 daily 2h sessions on an FR1 schedule n = 9–12 per age sex and dosegroup Subsequently responding maintained by 00125 or 005 mg/kg per infusion amphetamine in 4h sessions on a PR schedule was testedAdolescent rats acquired amphetamine selfadministration faster than adults reached a higher number of infusions and took more amphetamine than their adult counterparts during the acquisition phase although age differences varied by dose In PR testing young adult males earned fewer infusions than older adult males whereas young adult females earned more infusions than their older adult counterparts and more than agematched malesThe authors would like to thank Yvonne Ogbonmwan YeouRong Jih Rachel Candelaria Angus Whyte and Geary Smith for their valuable input This work was supported by The Center for Behavioral Neuroscience an STC Program of the NSF under Agreement No IBN9876754
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