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Improvement by methylphenidate and atomoxetine of social interaction deficits and recognition memory impairment in a mouse model of valproic acid‐induced autism
Author(s) -
Hara Yuta,
Ago Yukio,
Taruta Atsuki,
Katashiba Keisuke,
Hasebe Shigeru,
Takano Erika,
Onaka Yusuke,
Hashimoto Hitoshi,
Matsuda Toshio,
Takuma Kazuhiro
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
autism research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.656
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1939-3806
pISSN - 1939-3792
DOI - 10.1002/aur.1596
Subject(s) - atomoxetine , methylphenidate , prefrontal cortex , dopaminergic , dopamine , valproic acid , attention deficit hyperactivity disorder , psychology , autism , prepulse inhibition , neuroscience , pharmacology , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , medicine , psychiatry , epilepsy , cognition
Rodents exposed prenatally to valproic acid (VPA) show autism‐related behavioral abnormalities. We recently found that prenatal VPA exposure causes a reduction of dopaminergic activity in the prefrontal cortex of male, but not female, mice. This suggests that reduced prefrontal dopaminergic activity is associated with behavioral abnormalities in VPA‐treated mice. In the present study, we examined whether the attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder drugs methylphenidate and atomoxetine (which increase dopamine release in the prefrontal cortex, but not striatum, in mice) could alleviate the behavioral abnormalities and changes in dendritic spine morphology induced by prenatal VPA exposure. We found that methylphenidate and atomoxetine increased prefrontal dopamine and noradrenaline release in VPA‐treated mice. Acute treatment with methylphenidate or atomoxetine did not alleviate the social interaction deficits or recognition memory impairment in VPA‐treated mice, while chronic treatment for 2 weeks did. Methylphenidate or atomoxetine for 2 weeks also improved the prenatal VPA‐induced decrease in dendritic spine density in the prefrontal cortex. The effects of these drugs on behaviors and dendritic spine morphology were antagonized by concomitant treatment with the dopamine‐D 1 receptor antagonist SCH39166 or the dopamine‐D 2 receptor antagonist raclopride, but not by the α 2 ‐adrenoceptor antagonist idazoxan. These findings suggest that chronic treatment with methylphenidate or atomoxetine improves abnormal behaviors and diminishes the reduction in spine density in VPA‐treated mice via a prefrontal dopaminergic system‐dependent mechanism. Autism Res 2016, 9: 926–939 . © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.