vol. 12 núm. 2 (2016)

In order to study the effects of prenatal cocaine exposure (0, 25 or 50 mg/kg/day), on the emotional behavior of young and adult mice of both sexes, 27 CD1 pregnant female mice were assigned to one of three experimental conditions: a control group was given saline solution, a first experimental group that was given 25 mg/kg/day of cocaine and another experimental group with 50 mg/kg/day of cocaine, all between gestational days 8-21. Emotional behavior was evaluated in the offspring (both males and females) of the females at five and seven weeks of age, via the hole board followed by the plus maze with different rates of exploratory activity. Data were analyzed with MANOVAS and ANOVAS with and α of 0.05. Prenatal Cocaine Exposure (PCE) altered dose-related emotional behavior; subjects with PCE of 50 mg/kg/day exhibited more anxiety and fear, in contrast to the 25 mg/kg/day group that explored more and showed greater high-risk behaviors, which are features of impulsivity and hyperactivity. The effects found were maintained over time, so it is concluded that PCE permanently and significantly perturbed emotion.