Developmental Disruption of Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Function in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex by Noncontingent Cocaine Exposure During Early Adolescence

Our data indicate that repeated cocaine exposure during early adolescence can elicit a state of mPFC disinhibition resulting from a functional impairment of the local prefrontal GABAergic network that endures through adulthood. A lack of acquisition of prefrontal GABAergic function during adolescence could trigger long-term deficits in the mPFC that may increase the susceptibility for the onset of substance abuse and related psychiatric disorders.