COCAINE AND MATERNAL NEGLECT: INTERGENERATIONAL EFFECTS

考虑到围绕母亲忽视的社会和伦理问题 在人类中的虐待，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。小孩儿 长期以来，滥用药物和忽视母亲一直与药物滥用密切相关 女人。最近，怀孕期间较低水平的催产素和可卡因的使用 也与愤怒和敌意的普遍感觉有关 女性对婴儿的依恋有困难。在啮齿动物模型中， 调查人员发现，孕期和孕期慢性可卡因治疗 产后大坝中的急性可卡因治疗既增加了母亲的忽视， 被定义为幼崽导向的母体行为的中断。慢性可卡因 治疗还会增加产后母亲对入侵者的攻击性 幼崽经常受伤的程度，而急性可卡因治疗减少 保护幼崽免受入侵者的侵扰。他们还观察到慢性可卡因 治疗可降低内侧视前区和杏仁核中催产素的水平 在同一时期，母亲的行为和母亲的攻击， 分别受到最大的影响。调查人员假设 慢性和急性可卡因治疗将导致区别和显著 母亲在不同时间忽视/虐待子女的模式 哺乳期。他们将测量频率、持续时间和延迟 哺乳期和哺乳期大鼠母体行为和母体攻击行为 无缘无故的攻击性行为(断奶后) 慢性可卡因、急性可卡因和生理盐水治疗(研究1)。他们也 假设产前接触慢性可卡因和急性可卡因将 导致母亲/父母行为模式和攻击性的改变 后代。出生前未接受任何治疗的雄性和雌性大鼠后代， 慢性可卡因、急性可卡因或生理盐水治疗将检测孕妇 行为、父母行为(男性)、母亲攻击性和无缘无故 幼年和成年时对其他老鼠的攻击(研究2)。要确定 如果养育条件(忽视或养育)改善或加剧了 对出生前接触可卡因的影响，他们将研究 饲养的慢性可卡因、急性可卡因、盐水处理或未经处理的水坝 与他们的亲生母亲或交叉养育到其他未经治疗，或可卡因或 接受生理盐水治疗的母亲。男性和女性将接受母亲/父母的检测 青少年和成人的行为、母性攻击和无端攻击 (研究3)。研究4将确定相关大脑中的催产素系统是否发生变化 区域与大坝群之间的行为差异相关， 行为测试和催产素测定后处死大鼠所生后代 在这些地区的水平。

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.