A Dose–Response Study of Chronic Cocaine on Maternal Behavior in Rats

Nelson, C. J.; Meter, Kathleen E.; Walker, Cheryl H.; Ayers, Andy A.; Johns, Josephine M.

doi:10.1016/s0892-0362(98)00016-6

Cited by 28 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…For instance, cocaine-using mothers display higher harshness or negative affect toward their infants compared to non-using mothers (Burns, Chethik, Burns, & Clark, 1997; Eiden, Schuetze, Colder, & Veira, 2011), and exhibit more negative affect and intrusiveness during a structured teaching situation at three years of age (Johnson et al, 2002). The animal literature lends support to these findings indicating dose-dependent associations between cocaine treatment during gestation and disruptions in maternal caretaking behavior in the immediate post-partum (e.g., Johns et al, 2005; Nelson, Ayers, Meter, Walker, & Johns, 1998). Thus, PCE may have indirect associations with preschool self-regulation via maternal harshness in the infant/toddler years.…”

Section: Predictors Of Self-regulationmentioning

confidence: 77%

Prenatal substance exposure and child self-regulation: Pathways to risk and protection

Eiden

Godleski

Schuetze

et al. 2015

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology

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A conceptual model of the association between prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) and child selfregulation via maternal harshness and language development was examined. Specifically, the model tested whether PCE was associated with self-regulation either directly or indirectly via high maternal harshness and poor language development. The role of child sex, autonomic reactivity, and cumulative environmental risk as potential moderators was also explored. The sample was 216 mother-child dyads recruited at birth and assessed at 2, 7, 13, 24, 36, and 48 months of child ages. Participating mothers were primarily African American (72%). Results indicated a significant indirect association between PCE and child effortful control at 36 months via higher maternal harshness. Autonomic reactivity moderated the association between maternal harshness and self-regulation, such that among children with poor autonomic reactivity, high maternal harshness was associated with lower conscience at 3 years. Child sex and environmental risk did not moderate the association between PCE and self-regulation. Thus, the quality of caregiving experience played a significant role in the development of self-regulation among PCE children, especially those at higher autonomic risk. In particular, PCE children who also exhibit poor autonomic reactivity may be particularly susceptible to environmental influences such as parenting. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. HHS Public Access Prenatal Cocaine and Child RegulationAlthough initial reports of highly impaired "crack babies" have not been borne out by systematic research on the effects of prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE), well controlled prospective studies indicate significant effects of cocaine on the arousal/attention regulatory system (Lester & Padbury, 2009). Indeed, this is one of the most consistent findings in the cocaine literature across multiple stages of development ranging from the neonatal period to adolescence including diverse methods such as parent reports, behavioral measures, and autonomic reactivity (e.g., Bendersky & Lewis, 1998;Carmody, Bennett, & Lewis, 2011;Coles, Bard, Platzman, & Lynch, 1999;Karmel & Gardner, 1996;Li et al., 2009; Schuetze & Eiden, 2006;Schuetze, Eiden, & Danielewicz, 2009). Recent brain imaging studies have indicated potential mechanisms explaining these associations such as reduction of amygdala response to emotional stimuli during a task demanding high cognitive load among control children, but not among PCE children (Li et al., 2009) and lower ventral prefrontal cortex activation in respon...

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Section: Predictors Of Self-regulationmentioning

confidence: 77%

Prenatal substance exposure and child self-regulation: Pathways to risk and protection

Eiden

Godleski

Schuetze

et al. 2015

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology

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“…While cocaine was shown to have negative effects on maternal behavior when injected during the lactation period (Elliott, Lubin, Walker, & Johns, 2001;Kinsley et al, 1994;Vernotica, Lisciotto, Rosenblatt, & Morrell, 1996), contrary data have been published on the effects of cocaine administered during gestation. Studies have shown impairing effects (Johns, Noonan, Zimmerman, Li, & Pedersen, 1994), minimal negative effects (Nelson, Meter, Walker, Ayers, & Johns, 1998), no effects (Vernotica et al, 1996), or even positive effects (Peeke, Dark, Salamy, Salfi, & Shah, 1994) on postpartum maternal care. Furthermore, the effects of drugs on maternal behavior have been shown to depend on the dose and the timing of drug exposure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Methamphetamine administration during gestation impairs maternal behavior

2004

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Previous studies demonstrated that repeated drug exposure, such as opiates or cocaine, during the gestation period attenuates maternal behavior of rats; however, it is not known whether methamphetamine (MA), a drug whose usage has increased recently, negatively affects maternal behavior as well. Therefore, the present study tested the hypothesis that repeated subcutaneous administration of MA (5 mg/kg daily) throughout the entire gestation period alters maternal behavior. Dams (control, saline-, and MA-treated) were observed with their pups in two types of tests. In the observation test, 11 types of activities and three types of nursing positions of mothers were recorded 10 times during each 50-min session for the 22-day lactation period. A decrease in nursing and active maternal behavior was found in MA-treated mothers relative to control rats. In addition, stereotypic behavior such as rearing and sniffing was increased in MA- as well as in saline-treated mothers relative to controls. All mothers, regardless of the treatment, displayed significantly less maternal behavior and more nonmaternal activities as postpartum time progressed. In the retrieval test, mothers also were tested for pup retrieval from postpartum Days 1 through 12. MA-treated mothers were slower in retrieving the first pup, returning the first pup into the nest, and returning all pups into the nest relative to controls or saline-treated mothers. Interestingly, the latency to return all pups to the nest was longer in saline-treated mothers relative to controls. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates a novel finding that MA administered during the gestation period has a negative effect on maternal behavior.

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“…Prior work from our lab has shown this to be a less than optimal rearing environment (Johns et al, 2005; Nelson et al, 1998), and thus it is possible that the results presented here reflect poorer maternal care by cocaine-treated dams, as well as the direct effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on the pups. Usage of cross-fostering models may allow follow-up studies to circumvent these potential effects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

Effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on early postnatal rodent brain structure and diffusion properties

McMurray

Oguz

Rumple

et al. 2015

Neurotoxicology and Teratology

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Prenatal cocaine exposure has been associated with numerous behavioral phenotypes in clinical populations, including impulsivity, reduced attention, alterations in social behaviors, and delayed language and sensory-motor development. Detecting associated changes in brain structure in these populations has proven difficult, and results have been inconclusive and inconsistent. Due to their more controlled designs, animal models may shed light on the neuroanatomical changes caused by prenatal cocaine; however, to maximize clinical relevance data must be carefully collected using translational methods. The goal of this study was two-fold: 1) determine if prenatal cocaine alters developmental neuroanatomy using methods that are available to human researchers, specifically structural MRI and diffusion tensor imaging; and 2) to determine the feasibility of rodent in vivo neuroimaging for usage in longitudinal studies of developmental disorders. Cocaine-exposed (prenatal days 1–20, 30mg/kg/day) rat pups were sedated and imaged live using diffusion tensor imaging and postmortem (fixed) using magnetic resonance histology on postnatal day 14. Volume and diffusion properties in whole brain as well as specific regions of interest were then assessed from the resulting images. Whole brain analyses revealed that cocaine-exposed animals showed no change in whole brain volume. Additionally, we found alterations in fractional anisotropy across regions associated with reward processing and emotional regulation, especially in the thalamus and globus palladus, as well as sex-dependent effects of cocaine in the right cortex. Reductions in fractional anisotropy were paired with reductions only in axial diffusivity, which preliminarily suggests that the changes observed here may be due to axonal damage, as opposed to reductions in myelination of the affected regions/pathways. Our data indicate that prenatal cocaine may target a number of developing brain structures, but does not result in overt changes to brain volumes. These results highlight not only the brain alterations that result from prenatal cocaine, but also the advancements in live imaging that allow longitudinal study designs in other models.

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A Dose–Response Study of Chronic Cocaine on Maternal Behavior in Rats

Cited by 28 publications

References 14 publications

Prenatal substance exposure and child self-regulation: Pathways to risk and protection

Prenatal substance exposure and child self-regulation: Pathways to risk and protection

Methamphetamine administration during gestation impairs maternal behavior

Effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on early postnatal rodent brain structure and diffusion properties

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