Repeated intermittent treatment with cocaine, caffeine or their combination alters intrinsic and synaptic properties of ventrobasal thalamic neurons

C. RIVERO ECHETO; J.A. MUÑIZ; B. GONZALEZ; J. L. CADET; V. BISAGNO; F. J. URBANO

Huerta Grande

Congreso; XXIX Annual Meeting and SAN-ISN Small Conference and Course; 2014

Sociedad Argentina de Investigacion en Neurociencias

Cocaine is a highly dangerous illegal stimulant that can cause dependence, and long-term consequences when abused. Caffeine is a stimulant drug found in a range of commercially available products. In addition, ?PACO? drug samples have reported quantities of caffeine mixed with other stimulants, including cocaine. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of chronic caffeine/cocaine binge administration on total calcium current and glutamatergic/GABAergic evoked and spontaneous activity, in Ventrobasal (VB) thalamic neurons. We used male mice C57/BL6J (P30-90) to administer chronic binge of caffeine (Caf) (5mg/kg), cocaine (Coc) (10mg/kg) and their combination (CC5) (Caffeine 5mg/kg + Coc 10mg/kg), compared them to control receiving saline solution; and performed whole-cell patch clamp using a N-methyl-D-glucamine (NMDG) solution for perfusion, cutting and incubation of slices. We observed that peak calcium current density (pA/pF) during whole-cell patch clamp recording of VB neurons decreased significantly at -20mV after the two psychostimulants were administered together (Cocaine n=7, CC5 n=7, Control n=3 VB neurons; Kruskal Wallis one way analysis H:13, p<0.001, Dunn´s Post-Hoc test p<0.05). No changes were observed comparing Coc and control conditions.  Our data suggest that co-administration of Coc and Caf is more drastically affecting Ca2+ transients in the VB