Chronic voluntary oral methamphetamine induces deficits in spatial learning and hippocampal protein kinase Mzeta with enhanced astrogliosis and cyclooxygenase-2 levels.

ABSTRACT: Methamphetamine (MA) is an addictive drug with neurotoxic effects on the brain producing cognitive impairment and increasing the risk for neurodegenerative disease. Research has focused largely on examining the neurochemical and behavioral deficits induced by injecting relatively high doses of MA [30 mg/kg of body weight (bw)] identifying the upper limits of MA-induced neurotoxicity. Accordingly, we have developed an appetitive mouse model of voluntary oral MA administration (VOMA) based on the consumption of a palatable sweetened oatmeal mash containing a known amount of MA. This VOMA model is useful for determining the lower limits necessary to produce neurotoxicity in the short-term and long-term as it progresses over time. We show that mice consumed on average 1.743 mg/kg bw/hour durin

SUBMITTER: Avila JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5857642 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature