THE BEHAVIORAL-RESPONSE TO STRESS IS ALTERED IN ADULT-RATS EXPOSED PRENATALLY TO COCAINE

The behaviors displayed during and following acute stress exposure wer e investigated in rats prenatally exposed to cocaine. Offspring from S prague-Dawley rat dams given SC injections of 40 mg/kg/3 cc cocaine HC l (C40) daily from gestational days 8-20, pair-fed dams injected daily with saline (PF), and untreated control dams (LC) were examined. Adul t male rats 60 days old (P60) from the three prenatal groups were give n either a 5-min forced swim test (FS), 10 min of intermittent foot sh ock exposure, or were not exposed to either acute stressor. Amount of immobility or inactivity during acute stress exposure was recorded. On e day later, all animals were given a 5-min open field test. During bo th of the acute stressors, C40 offspring exhibited significantly less immobility than PF and LC control offspring. Whereas prior foot shock experience enhanced the amount of immobility shown by LC and PF offspr ing in the open field, similar immobility scores were observed between shocked and nonstressed C40 rats. In contrast, prior foot shock exper ience reduced locomotion in all prenatal treatment groups. These findi ngs suggest that prenatal cocaine exposure results in altered behavior al reactivity in terms of the immediate and delayed response to stress ful experiences.