CAFFEINE SENSITIVITY IN THE NEONATAL RAT

  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 4  (3) , 331-333
Abstract
The motor activity of infants rats as 1, 10 and 15 days of age was determined following treatment with caffeine, a CNS stimulant. At all 3 ages responses to increasing caffeine dosage described a curvilinear function in which activity first increased and then decreased. The basic adult response pattern to caffeine is exhibited by infants as young as 1 day of age. One-day-old rats were less sensitive to caffeine than the 10- and 15-day-old pup. Their maximal activity was reached at the 80 mg/kg dosage while 10- and 15-day-old rats were most active in the 20-40 mg/kg dose range. Apparently, neonatal rat can be used to assess the behavioral effects of exposure to environmental agents during development.