Title
The Effects of N-acetylcysteine on Amphetamine Induced Hyperreactivity of Differentially Reared Rats
Student Major/Year in School
Psychology, second year
Faculty Mentor Information
Dr. Mary E. Cain, Department of Psychological Sciences, Kansas State University
Abstract
Within rat models, neuronal plasticity can be influenced by early differential rearing environments. To study the effects of the rearing environment on neuronal plasticity, rats are raised in enriched conditions (EC), isolated conditions (IC), or standard conditions (SC). Research suggests that differential rearing alter responses to amphetamine by modifying the glutamate receptors and astrocyte density. Disruptions of glutamate homeostasis has been hypothesized to contribute to drug abuse. Additionally, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), an amino acid derivative of cysteine, induces recovery of extracellular glutamate levels to regulate glutamate homeostasis and decrease relapse to drugs of abuse. We hypothesize that differential rearing and NAC treatment will alter glutamate expression and that the effects of NAC will vary depending on the environmental conditions. In the experiment, male Sprague-Dawley rats were reared in EC, IC, or SC environments. After 30 days of rearing, rats were administered amphetamine for 8 days. On days 1 and 8, rats were placed in a locomotor chamber to confirm amphetamine-induced hyperactivity. EC rats had less hyperactivity on day 8 in comparison to the other conditions. After this phase, rats were assigned to a NAC or saline condition for 14 days in the absence of amphetamine. Brains were then extracted and westerns blots were used to measure the expression of a xCT, a transporter that regulates glutamate function, in the nucleus accumbens and the medial prefrontal cortex. The results suggest that rearing environment reduces amphetamine-induced activity due to changes in glutamate homeostasis.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Recommended Citation
Gomendoza, Joanne Kellie (2019). "The Effects of N-acetylcysteine on Amphetamine Induced Hyperreactivity of Differentially Reared Rats," Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference.
The Effects of N-acetylcysteine on Amphetamine Induced Hyperreactivity of Differentially Reared Rats
Within rat models, neuronal plasticity can be influenced by early differential rearing environments. To study the effects of the rearing environment on neuronal plasticity, rats are raised in enriched conditions (EC), isolated conditions (IC), or standard conditions (SC). Research suggests that differential rearing alter responses to amphetamine by modifying the glutamate receptors and astrocyte density. Disruptions of glutamate homeostasis has been hypothesized to contribute to drug abuse. Additionally, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), an amino acid derivative of cysteine, induces recovery of extracellular glutamate levels to regulate glutamate homeostasis and decrease relapse to drugs of abuse. We hypothesize that differential rearing and NAC treatment will alter glutamate expression and that the effects of NAC will vary depending on the environmental conditions. In the experiment, male Sprague-Dawley rats were reared in EC, IC, or SC environments. After 30 days of rearing, rats were administered amphetamine for 8 days. On days 1 and 8, rats were placed in a locomotor chamber to confirm amphetamine-induced hyperactivity. EC rats had less hyperactivity on day 8 in comparison to the other conditions. After this phase, rats were assigned to a NAC or saline condition for 14 days in the absence of amphetamine. Brains were then extracted and westerns blots were used to measure the expression of a xCT, a transporter that regulates glutamate function, in the nucleus accumbens and the medial prefrontal cortex. The results suggest that rearing environment reduces amphetamine-induced activity due to changes in glutamate homeostasis.
