COCAINE AND MATERNAL NEGLECT: INTERGENERATIONAL EFFECTS

考虑到忽视母亲的社会和伦理问题， 在人类中，忽视的动物模型提供了一种重要的方法， 研究母亲忽视/虐待的生物行为基础， 直接控制人类研究中发现的混杂变量。孩子 长期以来，虐待和母亲忽视与药物滥用密切相关， 妇女最近，怀孕期间催产素和可卡因的使用水平降低， 也与一般的愤怒和敌意有关， 女性对婴儿的依恋有困难。在啮齿动物模型中， 研究人员发现，在怀孕期间长期服用可卡因， 产后母鼠的急性可卡因治疗都增加了母亲的忽视， 被定义为幼犬主导的母性行为的中断。慢性可卡因 治疗也增加了产后母亲对入侵者的攻击， 幼犬经常受伤的程度，而急性可卡因治疗减少 保护幼崽免受入侵者的侵害。他们还观察到，慢性可卡因 治疗降低了内侧视前区和杏仁核中催产素的水平 在同一时期，母性行为和母性攻击， 受影响最大。研究人员假设， 慢性和急性可卡因治疗将导致差异和显着 2000 - 2001年期间不同时期母亲忽视/虐待子女的模式 哺乳期他们将测量的频率，持续时间和潜伏期 哺乳期大鼠母鼠的母性行为和母性攻击， 对其他大鼠的无端攻击行为（断奶后） 慢性可卡因、急性可卡因和生理盐水治疗（研究1）。他们还 假设产前接触慢性可卡因和急性可卡因 导致母亲/父母行为和攻击模式的改变， 后代雄性和雌性大鼠后代在出生前未接受任何处理， 慢性可卡因、急性可卡因或生理盐水治疗将测试母体 行为，父母的行为（男性），母亲的侵略，和无端 攻击其他大鼠作为青少年和成年（研究2）。以确定 如果养育条件（忽视与养育）改善或加剧了 产前接触可卡因的影响，他们将研究 慢性可卡因、急性可卡因、盐水处理或未处理的母鼠， 与他们的亲生母亲或交叉寄养到其他未经治疗，或可卡因， 盐水处理的母亲。将对雄性和雌性动物进行母体/亲代检测 行为，母亲的侵略和无端的侵略作为青少年和成年人 （研究3）。研究4将确定相关脑中催产素系统是否发生变化 区域与各组母鼠之间的行为差异相关， 通过在行为测试和测量催产素后处死大鼠， 这些地区的水平。

Given the social and ethical issues surrounding maternal neglect and abuse in humans, an animal model of neglect provides an important method to study the bio-behavioral underpinnings of maternal neglect/abuse with more direct control over the confounding variables found in human research. Child abuse and maternal neglect has long been strongly correlated with drug abuse in women. Recently, lower levels of oxytocin and cocaine use during pregnancy have also been associated with general feelings of anger and hostility and difficulty with infant attachment in women. In a rodent model, the investigators have found that chronic cocaine treatment during pregnancy and acute cocaine treatment in postpartum dams both increase maternal neglect, defined as the disruption of pup-directed maternal behavior. Chronic cocaine treatment also increases postpartum maternal aggression towards intruders to the extent that pups are often injured, while acute cocaine treatment decreases protection of pups from intruders. They have also observed that chronic cocaine treatment reduces levels of oxytocin in the medial preoptic area and amygdala at the same time periods that maternal behavior and maternal aggression, respectively, are maximally affected. The investigators hypothesize that chronic and acute cocaine treatment will result in differential and significant patterns of maternal neglect/abuse of offspring at different times across the lactation period. They will measure the frequency, duration and latency of maternal behavior and maternal aggression in rat dams during lactation and unprovoked aggressive behavior (postweaning) towards other rats following chronic cocaine, acute cocaine, and saline treatment (Study 1). They also hypothesize that prenatal exposure to chronic cocaine and acute cocaine will result in altered patterns of maternal/parental behavior and aggression in offspring. Male and female rat offspring prenatally exposed to no treatment, chronic cocaine, acute cocaine or saline treatment will be tested for maternal behavior, parental behavior (males), maternal aggression, and unprovoked aggression towards other rats as juveniles and adults (Study 2). To determine if rearing conditions (neglect versus nurturing) ameliorate or exacerbate the effects of prenatal exposure to cocaine, they will study the offspring of chronic cocaine, acute cocaine, saline treated or untreated dams who are reared with their natural mothers or cross-fostered to other untreated, or cocaine or saline treated mothers. Males and females will be tested for maternal/parental behavior, maternal aggression and unprovoked aggression as juveniles and adults (Study 3). Study 4 will determine if oxytocin system changes in relevant brain areas are correlated with behavioral differences between groups of dams and offspring by sacrificing rats after behavioral testing and measuring oxytocin levels in these regions.