Methamphetamine exposure during the first, but not the second half of prenatal development, affects social play behavior

Abstract

Methamphetamine (MA), as a psychostimulant drug that crosses the placental barrier, may disrupt the development of social play. The present study aims to examine the effect of prenatal MA (5 mg/kg) exposure during the first (gestational day (GD) 1-11) or second (GD 12–22) halves of prenatal development of rats on social play behavior. To investigate an acute effect of MA on social play in adulthood, juvenile rats were exposed to a dose of 1 mg/kg MA or saline on the test day and tested for social play for 15 min. Prenatal exposure to MA during GD 1–11 increased social play behavior during 5-10 min interval of the test in males but not females. Prenatal MA during GD 12–22 did not influence social play in males nor females. However, social play occurred to a greater extent in GD 12–22 groups compared with GD 1–11. Acute exposure to MA eliminated playful behavior in all groups and decreased social exploration in GD 1–11. Our results suggest that manipulation of prenatal development during the first half of the gestational period has a greater impact on social play behavior than during the second half.