THE DEVELOPMENT OF CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM LOCI THAT SUPPORT SELF-STIMULATION IN INFANT RATS.
Item
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Title
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THE DEVELOPMENT OF CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM LOCI THAT SUPPORT SELF-STIMULATION IN INFANT RATS.
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Identifier
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AAI8222961
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identifier
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8222961
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Creator
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LITHGOW, THEODORE DALE.
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Contributor
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Gordon A. Barr
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Date
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1982
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Psychobiology
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Abstract
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The development and maturation of the nervous system of the rat and other altricial species predominantly consists of postnatal events. Behavior developing according to specific ontogenetic timetables suggests an intricate quantifiable link with neural ontogeny. New, easily acquired behavioral tests would provide additional dependent measures to assess this neural development.;The purpose of the present research was to determine whether very young animals could learn to nudge a pole using direct electrical stimulation of the brain as a reinforcer, and whether that self-stimulation could be manipulated pharmacologically. By sampling various forebrain loci with this self-stimulation technique (Experiment 1), changes in responding by pups were noted following acute administration of d-amphetamine, a pharmacological agent classically employed to facilitate self-stimulation in adults (Experiment 2). Results are summarized as follows: (1) A reliable stereotaxic method for chronic electrode or cannula implant in rats was developed with mortality or loss of implant each below 20%. (2) Using a two-pole test apparatus designed and constructed in the laboratory, stimulus control of self-stimulation behavior was demonstrated in 27 and 31% of 7- and 10-day-old pups, respectively. (3) Using only 10-day-old pups with electrodes targeted for the medial forebrain bundle (MFB), self-stimulation rates increased following 5.0 mg/kg of d-amphetamine, but not after saline or a 1.0 mg/kg dose. The 5.0 mg/kg treated pups showed both differential facilitation of responding and behavioral activation, while 1.0 mg/kg pups showed only the latter. (4) Similar response patterns were shown for drug-treated pups when subject populations were separated on a histological basis, e.g., only pups with electrodes localized in the MFB or nucleus accumbens.;These findings suggest that the immature nervous system will mediate behaviors characteristic of the adult, and that this particular behavior is sensitive to acute pharmacological challenge and possibly chronic pharmacologic treatment. These results extend recent investigations regarding the degree of function by the nervous system during ontogeny, suggesting neonatal self-stimulation as a useful behavioral metric to reflect the functional maturity of the developing nervous system.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Psychology
