Differential effects of methylphenidate and cocaine on somatosensory thalamic nuclei in mice

URBANO FJ

Little Rock, Arkansas, USA

Conferencia; Distinguished Lecture Series, Center for translational Neuroscience; 2013

Center for translational Neuroscience, University of Arkansas Medical School, Arkansas, USA.

Chronic abuse of cocaine is associated with major neuropsychiatric conditions. Methylphenidate (MPH), another psychostimulant that has some abuse liability, is widely used to treat children and adolescents diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).We had previously shown that acute cocaine exposure altered the intrinsic properties of thalamocortical neurons and GABAergic transmission, however, the effects of MPH on sensory thalamic nuclei was unknown. We used somatosensory thalamocortical slices from mice subjected to acute and sub-chronic binge cocaine and acute and sub-chronic administration of MPH in combination with behavioral, patch-clamp and intracellular [Ca2+]-sensitive bis fura 2 fluorescence techniques. Our results suggest a considerable dysregulation of GABAergic transmission from thalamic reticular nucleus as well and post-synaptic calcium dynamics are induced by cocaine, which might underlie its long-lasting neurotoxic effects.MPH induced steady-state alterations of GABAergic transmission, which would result in long-lasting changes in sensory thalamic processing.