Maternal deprivation of neonatal rats produces enduring changes in dopamine function

Isolation-rearing of weanling rats produces a syndrome of behavioral and ne urochemical effects that are indicative of enhanced ventrostriatal dopamine function observed in adulthood. By contrast, maternal deprivation of neona tal rats decreases behavioral responses to dopamine agonists when tested in adults, which may indicate the opposite situation. However, in the present study it is reported that in vivo microdialysis of the nucleus accumbens ( NAC) revealed enhanced release of dopamine (DA) in response to both d-amphe tamine and high K+ perfusate in maternally deprived subjects. Thus, behavio ral responses to d-amphetamine are diminished in maternally deprived rats d espite apparent increases in presynaptic dopaminergic function in the NAG. Synapse 32:37-13, 1999, (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.