Changes in the electrical activity of prefrontal neurons following methamphetamine-induced conditioned place preference in the rat

Methamphetamine (METH) addiction is an epidemic-growing problem globally. Studies confirmed a solid linkage between the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and drug seeking. The present study aimed to investigate PFC neural activity changes after injection of METH following METH-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) in the rats.

After the development of CPP (0.5mg/kg METH for three days, SC), in vivo single-unit recordings were carried out the day after the post-test (post-conditioning day). On recording day, after stabilization and baseline recording (a 10-min period), the injection of METH (0.5mg/kg, SC) was performed and then, PFC neural activity was recorded for a 30-min period.

The results revealed that the injection of METH on the post-conditioning test significantly increases PFC neurons’ firing rate in animals that received METH during the CPP paradigm.

It seems that maybe, PFC neurons appear to be implicated in the associated METH reward pathway and repeated exposure to METH affected the sensitivity of neurons in this area.