Differences between adolescents and adults in the acute effects of PCP and ketamine and in sensitization following intermittent administration.
Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior June 1, 2017 Angelica Rocha, Nigel Hart, Keith A Trujillo
Adolescent rats are more sensitive than adults to the initial stimulant effects of the club drugs PCP and ketamine, but they show less development of drug sensitization—an increase in drug effect with repeated use linked to addiction—than adults do. Periadolescent rats (30 or 38 days old) and young adults (60 days old) received either PCP (6 mg/kg) or ketamine (20 mg/kg) every three days for five injections. Adolescents showed a much stronger response to the first injection than adults, but their activity remained similarly high after the fifth injection, while adults escalated their activity over time, indicating robust sensitization. These findings highlight age-related differences in acute and repeated drug effects.