PRENATAL COCAINE EXPOSURE LEADS TO ENHANCED LONG-TERM POTENTIATION INREGION CA1 OF HIPPOCAMPUS

Cocaine use by pregnant women is currently of concern for its social a nd 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 substr ates of learning and memory. Rabbits, 30 to 40 days old, were examined for alterations in synaptic plasticity using an intact hippocampal sl ice preperation. Extracellular recordings revealed in utero cocaine ex posure predisposed slices to larger long-term potentiation compared to controls.