Risperidone is an antipsychotic drug approved for use in children, but little is known about the long-term effects of early-life risperidone treatment. In animals, prolonged risperidone administration during development increases forebrain dopamine receptor expression immediately upon the cessation of treatment. A series of experiments was performed to ascertain whether early-life risperidone administration altered locomotor activity, a behavior sensitive to dopamine receptor function, in adult rats. One additional behavior modulated by forebrain dopamine function, spatial reversal learning, was also measured during adulthood. In each study, Long-Evans rats received daily subcutaneous injections of vehicle or one of two doses of risperidone (1.0 and 3.0 mg/kg per day) from postnatal days 14 – 42. Weight gain during development was slightly yet significantly reduced in risperidone-treated rats. In the first two experiments, early-life risperidone administration was associated with increased locomotor activity at one week post-administration through approximately nine months of age, independent of changes in weight gain. In a separate experiment, it was found that the enhancing effect of early-life risperidone on locomotor activity occurred in males and female rats. A final experiment indicated that spatial reversal learning was unaffected in adult rats administered risperidone early in life. These results indicate that locomotor activity during adulthood is permanently modified by early-life risperidone treatment. The findings suggest that chronic antipsychotic drug use in pediatric populations (e.g., treatment for the symptoms of autism) could modify brain development and alter neural set-points for specific behaviors during adulthood.
Early-life administration of risperidone, the most widely used antipsychotic drug in children, leads to persistently elevated locomotor activity in adult rats. This study determined if and when elevated locomotor activity emerges during developmental risperidone administration. Developing and adult rats were given daily injections of risperidone (1.0 and 3.0 mg/kg) or vehicle for four weeks beginning at postnatal day (PND) 14 and 74, respectively. Starting with the first injection and every seven days thereafter, locomotor activity was measured immediately after the injection and 20 minutes prior to the next day’s injection. Activity was also recorded one week after the final injection. Risperidone profoundly decreased locomotor activity in developing and adult rats immediately after injection. Within 24 h after their first injection, adult rats administered risperidone demonstrated greater activity levels. In contrast, developing rats did not demonstrate compensatory hyperactivity until the beginning of the fourth week of risperidone administration. One week after the final risperidone injection, there was no evidence of hyperactivity in the adult rats maintained on risperidone, but developing rats administered risperidone, especially females, exhibited greater activity levels relative to vehicle-administered controls. In comparison to adult rats, the emergence of compensatory hyperactivity during long-term APD administration is delayed in developing rats but persists after treatment cessation.
Risperidone is an antipsychotic drug that is approved for use in childhood psychiatric disorders such as autism. One concern regarding the use of this drug in pediatric populations is that it may interfere with social interactions that serve to nurture brain development. This study used rats to assess the impact of risperidone administration on maternal-offspring interactions and juvenile play fighting between cage mates. Mixed-sex litters received daily subcutaneous injections of vehicle or 1.0 or 3.0 mg/kg of risperidone between postnatal days (PNDs) 14-42. Rats were weaned and housed three per cage on PND 21. In observations made between PNDs 14-17, risperidone significantly suppressed several aspects of maternal-offspring interactions at one-hour post-injection. At 23 hours post-injection, pups administered risperidone had lower activity scores and made fewer non-nursing contacts with their moms. In observations of play-fighting behavior made once a week between PNDs 22-42, risperidone profoundly decreased many forms of social interaction at one hour post-injection. At 23 hours post-injection, rats administered risperidone made more non-social contacts with their cage mates, but engaged in less social grooming. Risperidone administration to rats at ages analogous to early childhood through adolescence in humans produces a pattern of abnormal social interactions across the day that could impact how such interactions influence brain development.
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