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γ‐Hydroxybutyric Acid–Induced Cognitive Deficits in the Female Adolescent Rat
Author(s) -
Sircar Ratna,
Basak Ashim,
Sircar Debashish
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1196/annals.1432.044
Subject(s) - amnesia , morris water navigation task , sedative , psychology , saline , retrograde amnesia , cognition , medicine , developmental psychology , anesthesia , psychiatry
γ‐hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), a “club drug,” is abused for its euphoric, sedative, and anabolic effects. GHB use and abuse is most prevalent among adolescents and young adults. Most GHB users report amnesia. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that GHB treatment in female adolescent rats causes deficits in spatial learning and memory. Adolescent female rats were treated daily with GHB (100 mg/kg) for 5 consecutive days. Control rats received isovolumetric saline. Experimental and control rats were tested in the hidden platform task (reference memory) of the Morris water maze. GHB‐treated adolescent female rats had significantly longer latencies than saline‐treated controls, and in the probe trial drug‐treated rats spent less time in the quadrant where the platform was present prior to its removal than did control adolescent rats. Together, these data indicate that GHB exposure in adolescent female rats has a negative impact on spatial learning and memory.