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Functional and structural abnormalities in the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and overactive dopamine (DA) neurotransmission are thought to be the key pathologies in schizophrenia. To understand the role of MPFC in the pre- and postpubertal development of the subcortical DA system, the effects of neonatal [postnatal day 7 (PD7)] MPFC excitotoxic lesions on locomotor behaviors and the expression of DA receptor subtypes and DA transporter were investigated in Sprague Dawley rats at PD35 and PD56, respectively. No significant differences in the novelty of d-amphetamine-induced locomotion were observed between sham-operated and ibotenic acid-lesioned rats at PD35. Postpubertally (at PD56), however, the locomotor activity of lesioned rats in the novel environment and after d-amphetamine administration was enhanced significantly compared with controls. The expressions of DA D1, D2, D3, and D4 receptors and DA transporter were then estimated in MPFC-lesioned and sham-operated rats at PD59 and PD60. The levels of DA D2 receptors, measured using [3H]-YM-09151-2 binding, and its mRNA by in situ hybridization, were observed to be significantly increased at PD60 in striatal and limbic areas of lesioned rats. Levels of other DA receptor subtypes were not significantly affected at any time points. Lesioned rats at PD39 show a small increase in DA transporter level in the shell of nucleus accumbens; however, this effect seems to wear off at PD60. The data suggest that neonatal MPFC lesions may alter the functional development and maturation of mesolimbic/nigrostriatal DA systems in that neonatally lesioned rats grow into a behavioral/neurochemical deficit.

NCAM-180 knockout mice, which have documented deficits in neural migration, were used to determine whether developmental abnormalities could lead to morphological changes and alterations in sensory motor gating mechanisms. Measurement of the lateral ventricle showed that NCAM-180-/- mice had marked increases in both the left and right anterior horns of the lateral ventricle. Furthermore, these mice also displayed a reduction of prepulse inhibition that was differentially affected by the dopamine agonist apomorphine. These results are discussed in light of the known increase in lateral ventricle size and reduction in prepulse inhibition that are seen in schizophrenia.

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It has been demonstrated that not only do rats neonatally lesioned in the ventral hippocampus (VH) develop behavioural hypersensitivity to amphetamine postpubertally, but also that the expression of the sensitivity is strain specific. For example, excitotoxic VH lesions at postnatal day (PD) 7 lead to significant increases in amphetamine-induced locomotion in postpubertal Fischer rats, but not in Lewis rats. However, as it is likely that the effect of strain differences are due to a combination of genetics and environment, we examined the contributions of the environment of the pups in determining the behavioural outcome following neonatal VH lesions. Fisher and Lewis rat pups were cross-fostered at birth, and then at PD7 lesioned bilaterally in the VH with ibotenic acid. ANOVA analysis of postpubertal amphetamine-induced locomotor data revealed a significant effect of the strain of the dams raising the pups but no effect of the strain of the pup. In addition, a post hoc analysis revealed that lesioned Fisher or Lewis rats raised by Fisher, but not those raised by Lewis, dams demonstrated amphetamine-induced hyperlocomotion relative to nonlesioned controls. Observations of the maternal behaviour of Fischer and Lewis dams revealed significant differences in the frequency of arched-back nursing between the two strains. Interestingly, a correlation of the frequency of arched back nursing vs novelty- or amphetamine-induced locomotion revealed that the lesioned rats were significantly more affected by increases in arched-back nursing compared to the controls. The results suggest that the genetic background of the pups does not significantly affect the behavioural outcome following neonatal VH lesions; however, the results do suggest an important role of early environmental variables on the behavioural outcome of neonatal VH lesions.

Using a putative animal model of schizophrenia, neonatal rat ventral hippocampal (VH) lesions, combined with cross-fostering Lewis and Fisher rats, we previously demonstrated that the postpubertal expression of amphetamine-induced hyperlocomotion after lesioning depends on the early environment of the pups. However, an important question that emerged from our studies was whether the early environment leads to sparing of function within the VH or to the disruption of another structure, such as the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC). To answer this question, we took advantage of the natural variation in maternal care of Sprague-Dawley rat dams and separated them into high and low arched back nursing (ABN) groups. Then, on postnatal day 7 (PD7) the pups from the two groups of dams were lesioned in the VH. As a measure of VH function, the rats were tested in a reference memory paradigm, which demonstrated that nVH-lesioned rats raised by high or low ABN dams had pronounced deficits, suggesting that VH functions are not fully spared. Next, the integrity of the MPFC was tested in a number of paradigms in which MPFC function has been implicated. In all three paradigms a similar result was found, that only lesioned rats raised by high ABN dams displayed deficits, such as a lack of MPFC control of amphetamine-induced locomotion, decreased working memory, and decreased anxiety. These results suggest that the early environment does not affect the recovery of the VH to nVH lesion. Rather, the early environment interacts with nVH lesions in such a way that disrupts the development and function of MPFC.

KEY WORDSHippocampus, In situ hybridization, c-fos mRNA, Ibotenic acid, Amphetamine ABSTIlACTTo further characterize the mechanisms underlying enhanced dopamine-related behaviors expressed during adulthood in rats with neonatal excitotoxic ventral hippocampal (VH) damage, we studied the expression of c-fos mRNA in these rats after a single saline or amphetamine (AMPH) (10 mgkg, i.p.1 injection using in situ hybridization. The V H of rat pups was lesioned with ibotenic acid on postnatal day 7 (PD7). At the age of 90 days, rats were challenged with AMPH or saline, and the expression of c-fos mRNA using an oligonucleotide probe was assessed 30, 90, and 180 min later. AMPH significantly increased c-fos mRNA expression in medial prefrontal cortex, piriform cortex, cingulate cortex, septa1 region, and dorsolateral and ventromedial striatum in control and lesioned rats. However, this response to AMPH was attenuated 30 min after AMPH injection in all of these regions in the lesioned as compared to the sham-operated rats. No significant changes were seen at other time points. These results indicate that the neonatal VH lesion alters time-dependent intracellular signal transduction mechanisms measured by AMPH-induced c-fos mRNA expression in cortical and subcortical brain regions. Changes in c-fos mRNA expression in this putative animal model of schizophrenia may have implications for long-term alterations in cellular phenotype because of altered regulation of certain target genes. o