Changes in neuronal activity in rat primary cortical cultures induced by illicit drugs and new psychoactive substances (NPS) following prolonged exposure and washout to mimic human exposure scenarios.

Changes in neuronal activity in rat primary cortical cultures induced by illicit drugs and new psychoactive substances (NPS) following prolonged exposure and washout to mimic human exposure scenarios. Neurotoxicology. 2019 May 09;: Authors: Zwartsen A, Hondebrink L, Westerink RH Abstract The use of new psychoactive substances (NPS) is increasing despite associated health risks and limited pharmacological and toxicological knowledge. Information is available mainly for acute effects on specific targets like monoamine transporters and receptors. Recently, we have shown the ability of several NPS and illicit drugs to modulate neuronal activity during acute exposure. While these acute measurements provide valuable information regarding the potency and possible structure-activity relationships, an exposure scenario more representative of human exposure would increase insight and aid translation to the human situation. Therefore, we investigated the effects on neuronal activity after acute (30 min) and prolonged (5 h) exposure to amphetamine-type stimulants, cathinones, hallucinogens, piperazines and cocaine using rat primary cortical cultures grown on multi-well microelectrode arrays. To investigate the reversibility of effects, activity was also measured after a washout period of 19 h. During acute exposure, all compounds concentration-dependently decreased neuronal activity. Compared to acute exposure, prolonged exposure did not f...
Source: Neurotoxicology - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Neurotoxicology Source Type: research