The role of the dopaminergic system in behavioral activation of infant rats.
Item
-
Title
-
The role of the dopaminergic system in behavioral activation of infant rats.
-
Identifier
-
AAI8820906
-
identifier
-
8820906
-
Creator
-
Viscardi, Eun-Jee.
-
Contributor
-
Adviser: Gordon A. Barr
-
Date
-
1988
-
Language
-
English
-
Publisher
-
City University of New York.
-
Subject
-
Psychology, Physiological
-
Abstract
-
Young rat pups become behaviorally activated, emitting a series of responses that includes mouthing, licking, pawing, and locomotion, following either reinforcing exteroceptive stimuli such as milk, or electrical stimulation of the medial forebrain bundle. To characterize the role of striatal and mesolimbic systems in the behavioral activation of infant rats, the behavioral responses of 3-day-old rats were observed following brief electrical stimulation of the caudate nucleus (CD) or the nucleus accumbens (NA).;Bipolar teflon coated stainless steel electrodes, bared at the tip, were implanted in the Cd or the NA of 3-day-old pups. Testing occurred 16 to 20 hours after surgery. Following a 5 minute adaptation period and a 2 minute baseline observation period, behavior was recorded over 6 one minute intervals during which biphasic square wave stimulation (500 msec train of 50 pulses with a pulse width of 2 msec) was delivered every 10 seconds during every other minute. Current was 60 uA, although inactive sites were tested up to 1000 uA. The behavior of the pup was recorded during each minute. Following testing, pups were overdosed with a barbiturate and perfused intracardially. Frozen brain sections were stained for Nissl substance and the electrode placements verified independent of the behavioral data. Stimulation of the NA (N = 12) resulted in behavioral activation, while stimulation of the CD (N = 15) produced locomotion only.;To assess first the role of dopamine (DA) systems in behavioral activation, and second the differential effect of typical and atypical neuroleptics on the striatal and mesolimbic DA systems, subsequent studies tested whether elicited behavioral activation could be blocked by the dopamine antagonists haloperidol (HAL) and clozapine (CLOZ). HAL (0.05 and 0.2 mg/kg) and CLOZ (0.5 and 2.5 mg/kg) produced comparable effects in blocking stimulation induced activation.;These results suggest the involvement of the mesolimbic system in the behavioral activation that accompanies reinforcement in infant rats, and a possible role of dopamine mediating this behavioral activation.
-
Type
-
dissertation
-
Source
-
PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
-
degree
-
Ph.D.
