Thursday, December 5, 2024 4:30pm to 5pm
Neuroscience Seminar Series - First Year Presentation
Title: Cocaine-Induced Alterations in Intrinsic Excitability of Medial Prefrontal Cortex
Speaker:
Ke Yang
Student, UT Dallas
Cocaine misuse poses significant health risks. Despite its well-documented dangers, many individuals struggle to abstain, as cocaine's highly addictive nature and drug-related memories often trigger cravings and relapse. This recurrence of drug use may be driven by cocaine-induced changes in specific brain regions, including the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), which plays a critical role in regulating drug-seeking behavior. Previous studies suggest that cocaine exposure alters the intrinsic properties of mPFC neurons, potentially reflecting important behavioral changes. However, the findings remain inconsistent, likely due to differences in cocaine administration methods (e.g., self-administration vs. intraperitoneal injection) and timing of assessments (e.g., 24 hours vs. 3 days post-exposure). Importantly, no studies to date have examined how the intrinsic excitability of the mPFC changes immediately following cocaine self-administration. In this study, I investigated the intrinsic properties of infralimbic (IL) and prelimbic (PL) neurons in the mPFC using patch-clamp electrophysiology. Rats subjected to 10 days of cocaine self-administration were sacrificed within 15 minutes after their last exposure to current-clamp recordings. I measured spike frequency in response to current injections, input resistance, action potential (AP) threshold, peak amplitude, rheobase current, and spike half-width. Results showed no significant differences in intrinsic properties between cocaine- and saline-treated groups or between PL and IL regions in the cocaine-treated rats. In a separate experiment, one rat was sacrificed following a 3-day abstinence period, revealing a decrease in spike frequency, elevated AP threshold, and increased rheobase in PL neurons, indicating reduced intrinsic excitability in this region. Additionally, in a naïve rat, acute cocaine wash-in to the bath led to reduced spike frequency in both PL and IL neurons. These findings suggest a potential time-sensitive window in which cocaine alters intrinsic excitability, offering insights into the temporal dynamics of cocaine’s impact on the brain.
On December 5, 2024 at 4:30 - 5:00PM
In-person in CRA 12.110.
This will also be available on MS Teams.
Meeting ID: 222 775 345 170
Passcode: ev6uX7CU
CRA 12.110
Undergraduate Students, Prospective Students, Graduate Students
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