Section V: Biomedical Sciences Science Building, Room 202 Seyed H. Hosseini, Presiding (Saturday PAPER PRESENTATIONS‪)‬

8:30 THE EFFECT OF PRENATAL METHYLPHENIDATE EXPOSURE ON 5CSRTT PERFORMANCE, Heather N. Ivester, Hillary H. Doyle, Kayla M. Fann, Brian K. Phillips, Ryan A. Shanks, Ph.D. and Steven A. Lloyd, Ph.D., North Georgia College&State University, Dahlonega, GA. Methylphenidate, an addictive psychostimulant commonly known as Ritalin[R], is becoming a growing problem due to a rising trend of ADHD misdiagnosis and prescription and recreational abuse, especially for student populations, many of whom are of child-bearing age. Immediate study of this abundant drug is crucial because the long-term effects of prenatal exposure are poorly understood. Due to the structural and functional similarities between methamphetamine and methylphenidate, we expect to find behavioral alterations in adult mice exposed to prenatal methylphenidate indicative of frontal brain deficits such as impulsivity and compulsivity. Training using a Five Choice Serial Reward Time Task (5C5RTT) paradigm began at three months of age and was used to measure differences in general executive functions, impulsivity, compulsivity, general accuracy, and other behavior and cognitive arenas. The training consisted of 4 different programs, which differed only in the amount of time the stimulus hole was illuminated. The last day of training, reached after the criteria of at least eighty percent correct was met for the other programs, consisted of a pseudo-randomized the inter-interval time duration. Preliminary data shows a treatment affect for false alarms, a measure which is indicates impulsivity. If a significant difference in any aspect is found after prenatal methylphenidate exposure, it will implicate the drug as a perpetrator of permanent neurological damage that may persists into adulthood. 8:45 PRENATAL METHAMPHETAMINE EXPOSURE ALTERS EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS IN ADULT MICE, Corina I. Oltean *. H.N. Ivester *. H.H. Doyle *, K.M. Fann *, R.A. Shanks, Ph.D. and S.A. Lloyd, Ph.D.. North Georgia College&State University, Dahlonega, GA 30533. Methamphetamine (METH) is a commonly abused stimulant with unknown teratogenic potential that is abused by women of childbearing age. METH effects fetal and maternal neurotransmitter levels, especially dopamine, which are involved in the division, migration and patterning of neurons during development. We hypothesized that prenatal METH exposure will alter frontal brain development resulting in developmental defects in cognitive functioning. Mice were exposed to METH or saline from embryonic day 8.5 until birth. The exposed offspring were assessed at three months of age for subtle cognitive deficits using the 5-choice serial reaction time task to measure working memory, attention and inhibitory control. We found a significant treatment effect for various measures of executive functioning in adult mice prenatally exposed to METH. Data suggests that prenatal methamphetamine exposure results in long-term alterations of frontal brain executive functions in mice, including a decrease in inhibitory control. Low levels of inhibitory control are associated with psychiatric disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Prenatal psychostimulant exposures may be a risk factor for this growing social, educational, and medical concern. This data has important implications for the understanding of and treatment for the effects of prenatal stimulant exposures.