This project explores the neural bases of increased liability for addictive behavior in an established developmental model of schizophrenia. Adult rats with a Neonatal Ventral Hippocampal Lesion (NVHL) exhibit increased self-administration of cocaine, amphetamine and methamphetamine. We are testing whether these animals exhibit stronger cue-induced reinstatement of drug seeking behavior, a widely used model of drug relapse. We are also establishing the role of the medial prefrontal cortex in such behavior with recordings of neural activity in prefrontal cortical regions as the rats are exposed to cues during the reinstatement session.
An interesting element in the NVHL model is that all well known behavioral anomalies that resemble phenomena observed in schizophrenia emerge during adolescence. This time course is consistent with what is observed in the disease, as typical onset age for schizphrenia is late adolescence, even though there is a strong genetic and developmental component. We are also testing variations in liability for drug self-administration across different ages, from early adolescence to the adult rat.