Prenatal cocaine exposure leads to enhanced long-term potentiation in region CA1 of hippocampus.

摘要

Cocaine use by pregnant women is currently of concern for its social and economic impact. Clinical studies of cocaine exposed offspring are limited by methodological constraints. In this study we used a rabbit model to examine the effects of gestational cocaine exposure on substrates of learning and memory. Rabbits, 30 to 40 days old, were examined for alterations in synaptic plasticity using an intact hippocampal slice preparation. Extracellular recordings revealed in utero cocaine exposure predisposed slices to larger long-term potentiation compared to controls.