Challenge dose of methamphetamine affects kainic acid-induced seizures differently depending on prenatal methamphetamine exposure, sex, and estrous cycle

Even though it is obvious that glutamate plays an important role in the effect of psychostimulants on seizures, the role of non-NMDA receptors remains uncertain. The aim of the present study was to determine whether acute methamphetamine (MA) administration changes sensitivity to seizures induced with kainic acid in prenatally MA-exposed adult rats. Adult male and female rats (prenatally MA exposed, prenatally saline exposed, and controls) were divided into groups that received a challenge dose (1 mg/kg) of MA and groups that did not receive the MA challenge (saline injected). Systemic administration of 15 mg/kg kainic acid was used as a seizure model. Our results demonstrated that a single injection of MA (1 mg/kg) affects kainic acid-induced seizures differently depending on prenatal exposure, sex, and female estrous cycle. Even though daily injections of MA (5 mg/kg) in maternal rats did not have a long-term effect on susceptibility to seizures induced with kainic acid in adult progeny, sensitivity to the challenge dose of MA differed between the prenatal exposure groups.