Author : Tina Scardochio
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (948 download)
Book Synopsis Investigation of the Relationships Between Rat Ultrasonic Vocalizations, Reward and Dopamine Transmission by : Tina Scardochio
Download or read book Investigation of the Relationships Between Rat Ultrasonic Vocalizations, Reward and Dopamine Transmission written by Tina Scardochio and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Adult rats emit ultrasonic vocalizations primarily around two frequencies: 22- and 50-kHz. These two broad categories of calls are commonly associated with contexts and stimuli that are either aversive or reinforcing, respectively. The 50-kHz call type can be subdivided into 14 subtypes, and several lines of evidence suggest that the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system promotes 50-kHz call emission.The first aim of this thesis (Chapter 2) was to determine whether 50-kHz calls can be elicited by enhancing DAergic signaling pharmacologically. Instead, systemic administration of selective DAergic receptor agonists decreased 50-kHz call rates, thus mimicking the effects of DA receptor antagonists. These findings suggested that DAergic transmission is necessary, but is not sufficient, for call emission. According to recent reports, psychostimulants (e.g. cocaine and amphetamine), which reliably increase 50-kHz calls, also increase phasic DA release. To reconcile the seemingly conflicting findings from Chapter 2, we hypothesized that phasic DA release is required for the production of 50-kHz calls. According to this hypothesis, tonic activation of postsynaptic receptors by DAergic agonists would have inhibited the transmission of phasic DA signals, thereby producing a call-depressant effect, as observed following the administration of antagonists. Therefore, in Chapter 3, we investigated the relationship between phasic DA release and 50-kHz vocalizations. First, we confirmed that electrical stimulation of the medial forebrain bundle (MFB) produced 50-kHz vocalizations. We showed that these calls were time-locked with phasic DA release, which we recorded in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) of freely moving animals using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV). The associated call profile, with a preponderance of trill calls, was similar to that following administration of psychostimulants. Next, we showed that optogenetic stimulation of ventral tegmental area (VTA) DAergic neurons was also associated with high call rates, with trills again predominating. Call rates were significantly higher during non-contingent vs. response-contingent stimulation. Although rats continued to respond for, or passively receive, optogenetic stimulation throughout the 2-hour session, they virtually ceased calling within 30 minutes. Taken together, the results from Chapter 3 suggest that phasic DA release in the mesolimbic system, even though reinforcing, is not sufficient to elicit 50-kHz calls. In a final study (Chapter 4), we investigated the relationship between phasic DA release and amphetamine (AMPH)-induced calls. Systemic administration of AMPH increased the 50-kHz call rate, with an inverted-U shaped dose-response relationship. Conversely, co-administration of selective DAergic agonists with AMPH significantly decreased calls. Next, we recorded phasic release in the NAcc using FSCV following the acute administration of AMPH. AMPH (tested at 0.3 - 4 mg/kg) also increased the amplitude of DA transients without affecting their duration or frequency. As expected, AMPH also significantly increased 50-kHz call rates. However, phasic DA release in the NAcc did not co-occur with 50-kHz calls. Furthermore, there was no correlation between the number of USVs and the frequency, duration or amplitude of transients, suggesting that phasic DA release in the NAcc is not necessary for the emission of AMPH-induced vocalizations.In summary, the present findings indicate that although 50-kHz call emission is strongly dependent on DA transmission, phasic DA release in the NAcc appears neither sufficient nor necessary for their occurrence." --