Prenatal cocaine exposure impairs selective attention: Evidence from serial reversal and extradimensional shift tasks

This study assessed the effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on cognitive f unctioning, using an intravenous (TV) rodent model that closely mimics the pharmacokinetics seen in humans after smoking or TV injection and that avoi ds maternal stress and undernutrition. Cocaine-exposed males were significa ntly impaired on a 3-choice, but not 2-choice, olfactory serial reversal le arning task. Both male and female cocaine-exposed rats were significantly i mpaired on extradimensional shift tasks that required shifting from olfacto ry to spatial cues; however, they showed no impairment when required to shi ft from spatial to olfactory cues. In-depth analyses of discrete learning p hases implicated deficient selective attention as the basis of impairment i n both tasks. These data provide clear evidence that prenatal cocaine expos ure produces long-lasting cognitive dysfunction, but they also underscore t he specificity of the impairment.