Date of Award

Spring 5-5-2024

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Major

Neuroscience

First Advisor

Luis Martinez

Abstract

Adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at greater risk for psychostimulant abuse compared to those without ADHD. This may be due to alterations in the mesolimbocortical dopamine system; indeed, psychostimulant-induced dopamine release is greater in adult spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs; a rodent model of ADHD) compared to controls. Here, we sought to determine the extent to which neurobehavioral responses to cocaine are altered in adolescent SHRs. To begin to address this question, adolescent male and female SHRs and Sprague Dawley (SD; a reference strain) rats were first assessed for behavioural signs of ADHD, including inattention (Y-maze test) and hyperactivity (open-field test). Rats also underwent behavioural sensitization to cocaine (BSC) testing, which involved repeated cocaine (10 mg/kg) or saline (1mL/kg) injections and subsequent locomotor testing. Finally, immunohistochemistry for cFos was performed to evaluate the neural response to cocaine. We found that female SHRs exhibited enhanced BSC compared to female SD controls, whereas in males, SHRs exhibited decreased BSC compared to SD controls. Quantification of cFos expression is underway. These findings indicate that adolescent females with ADHD may be at an increased risk of developing substance use disorders to psychostimulant drugs like cocaine.

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