MR MICROSCOPY OF A RAT PRENATAL COCAINE EXPOSURE MODEL

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. We are explorng the developmental effects of prenatal cocaine exposure in a rat model. Little data actually exist regarding the effects of cocaine during development, thus the need for such studies are great. Here at UNC, we are doing high-resolution DTI scans, but the facilities here are not equipped to do ultra-high resolution MR microscopy. Thus, we have discussed with Al Johnson the potential to explore this aim at Duke. Our DTI studies are currently performed in rat mothers treated with cocaine on postpartum day 5, and in the male and female offspring of these mothers on postnatal days 5 and 14, roughly trnaslational to the end of the third trimester and approximately 1 week old in human development. If differences in brain structure are found at these time points, we are interested in exploring later time points to determine the long term developmental effects of prenatal cocaine exposure.