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Differential regulation of psychostimulant‐induced gene expression of brain derived neurotrophic factor and the immediate‐early gene Arc in the juvenile and adult brain
Author(s) -
Banerjee Partha S.,
Aston James,
Khundakar Ahmad A.,
Zetterström Tyra S. C.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
european journal of neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.346
H-Index - 206
eISSN - 1460-9568
pISSN - 0953-816X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2008.06601.x
Subject(s) - arc (geometry) , brain derived neurotrophic factor , neuroscience , gene , neurotrophic factors , juvenile , gene expression , immediate early gene , biology , psychology , genetics , receptor , mathematics , geometry
Psychostimulant drugs are widely used in children for the treatment of attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Recent animal studies have suggested that exposure to these agents in early life could be detrimental to brain development. Here, for the first time, the effect of methylphenidate (MPH) and d ‐amphetamine (AMPH) on the expression of two key genes for neuronal development and plasticity, brain‐derived neurotrophic factor ( bdnf ) and the effector immediate early gene activity‐regulated, cytoskeletal‐associated protein ( Arc ), was examined in both juvenile and adult rats. Both MPH [2 mg/kg, intraperitoneal (i.p.)] and AMPH (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.) induced marked decreases of bdnf mRNA in hippocampal and cortical brain regions of juveniles, whereas effects in adults were significantly less (hippocampus) or opposite (frontal cortex). In comparison, Arc mRNA was decreased (hippocampus and parietal cortex), largely unaffected (frontal cortex) or increased (striatum) in juveniles, whereas in adults, Arc mRNA increased in most brain regions. MPH‐induced locomotion was also measured, and showed a much smaller increase in juveniles than in adults. In summary, our data show that the effects of MPH and AMPH on expression of the neurodevelopmentally important genes, bdnf and Arc , differ markedly in juvenile and adult rats, with juveniles showing evidence of brain region‐specific decreases in both genes. These age‐dependent effects on gene expression may be linked with the reported long‐term harmful effects of psychostimulants in animal models.