Maternal separation (MS) is a key contributor to
neurodevelopmental disorders, including
learning disabilities. To test the hypothesis that
dopamine signaling is a major factor in this, an atypical new
dopamine transporter (DAT) inhibitor,
CE-123, was assessed for its potential to counteract the MS-induced spatial learning and
memory deficit in male and female rats. Hence, neonatal rats (postnatal day (PND)1 to 21) were exposed to
MS (180 min/day). Next, the acquisition of spatial learning and memory (Barnes maze task) and the expression of
dopamine D1 receptor,
dopamine transporter (DAT), and the neuronal
GTPase, RIT2, which binds DAT in the vehicle-treated rats were evaluated in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus in the adolescent animals. The results show that MS impairs the acquisition of spatial learning and memory in rats, with a more severe effect in females. Moreover, the MS induced upregulation of DAT and
dopamine D1 receptors expression in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus in adolescent rats. Regarding RIT2, the expression was decreased in the hippocampus for both the males and females, however, in the prefrontal cortex, reduction was found only in the females, suggesting that there are region-specific differences in DAT endocytic trafficking.
CE-123 ameliorated the behavioral deficits associated with MS. Furthermore, it decreased the MS-induced upregulation of D1 receptor expression level in the hippocampus. These effects were more noted in females. Overall,
CE-123, an atypical DAT inhibitor, is able to restore
cognitive impairment and
dopamine signaling in adolescent rats exposed to MS-with more evident effect in females than males.