Research Article

Regional Fos expression induced by morphine withdrawal in the 7-day-old rat

  1. Anika A. McPhie1,†,
  2. Gordon A. Barr1,2,*

Article first published online: 25 AUG 2009

DOI: 10.1002/dev.20392

Issue

Developmental Psychobiology

Developmental Psychobiology

Volume 51, Issue 7, pages 544–552, November 2009

Additional Information

How to Cite

McPhie, A. A. and Barr, G. A. (2009), Regional Fos expression induced by morphine withdrawal in the 7-day-old rat. Dev. Psychobiol., 51: 544–552. doi: 10.1002/dev.20392

Author Information

  1. 1

    Biopsychology Doctoral Program, Department of Psychology, Hunter College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY 10016

  2. 2

    Department of Developmental Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032

  1. †

    Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, P.O. Box 800733, Charlottesville, VA 22908.

*Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, 3615 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19104.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 9 OCT 2009
  2. Article first published online: 25 AUG 2009
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 1 JUL 2009
  4. Manuscript Received: 5 JUL 2007

Funded by

  • NIH. Grant Numbers: DA-06600, DA-00325, RR03037
  • National Science Foundation
  • CUNYAGEP fellowship

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Keywords:

  • opiate;
  • morphine;
  • dependence;
  • withdrawal;
  • Fos;
  • periaqueductal gray;
  • nucleus accumbens;
  • spinal cord;
  • locus coeruleus

Abstract

Human infants are often exposed to opiates chronically but the mechanisms by which opiates induce dependence in the infant are not well studied. In the adult the brain regions involved in the physical signs of opiate withdrawal include the periaqueductal gray area, the locus coeruleus, amygdala, ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens, hypothalamus, and spinal cord. Microinjection studies show that many of these brain regions are involved in opiate withdrawal in the infant rat. Our goal here was to determine if these regions become metabolically active during physical withdrawal from morphine in the infant rat as they do in the adult. Following chronic morphine or saline treatment, withdrawal was precipitated in 7-day-old pups with the opiate antagonist naltrexone. Cells positive for Fos-like immunoreactivity were quantified within select brain regions. Increased Fos-like labeled cells were found in the periaqueductal gray, nucleus accumbens, locus coeruleus, and spinal cord. These are consistent with other studies showing that the neural circuits underlying the physical signs of opiate withdrawal are similar in the infant and adult. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 51: 544–552, 2009.

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