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Journal of Neural Transmission - Early life stress exacerbates cognitive dysfunction induced by D-amphetamine: amelioration by valproic acid

Rose Mary Carvalho Pinheiro, Maria Noêmia Martins de Lima, Gabriel Rodrigo Fries, Vanessa Athaíde Garcia, Juliana Presti-Torres, Luis Henrique Hallmenschlager, Luisa Azambuja Alcalde, Rafael Roesler, Mônica Levi Andersen, João Quevedo, Flávio Kapczinski e Nadja Schröder

It has been demonstrated that experiences taking place early in life have a profound influence on brain development, interacting with the genetic background and determining differences in the vulnerability to the onset of bipolar disorder when the individual is exposed to a second adverse event later in life. Here, we investigated the effects of exposure to an early adverse life event (maternal deprivation) and to a later adverse life event [D-amphetamine (AMPH)] on cognition in an animal model of mania. We have previously demonstrated that that repeated AMPH exposure produces severe and persistent cognitive impairment, which was more pronounced when the animals were maternal deprived, suggesting that the early adverse life event could be potentiating the effects of the exposure to the second adverse life event later in life. Here, we show that valproic acid ameliorated the cognitive deficits induced by AMPH, but it was not effective when the animals were exposed to both stressors: maternal deprivation and AMPH treatment.

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