From adolescent to elder rats: Motivation for palatable food and cannabinoids receptors

To analyze motivation, food self‐administration and decision‐making were evaluated in adolescent, adult, and aged rats. Subjects were trained to press a lever (fixed ratio, FR1 and FR5) in an operant chamber, to obtain chocolate flavor pellets. They assessed the progressive ratio (PR), extinction, and reinstatement of the behavior. To estimate decision‐making for food, rats were trained in the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm: (a) associating one compartment with lab chow (LCh) one day and the other compartment with rice krisspies (RK), the next day. (b) Training similar to (a) but on the day RK was the reinforcer, it was delivered with a progressive delay. In addition, CB1 and CB2 receptor expression in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and prefrontal cortex (PFC) was estimated by means of Western blot. Adolescent rats consumed higher amounts of RK/body weight than adult and aged rats during FR1, FR5, and PR. Extinction was more prolonged for adolescent rats than for adult and aged rats. First CPP condition, all three groups of rats preferred the RK‐associated compartment. Second CPP condition, adolescent rats developed equal preference to both compartments, while adult and aged rats preferred the RK‐associated compartment. Rats per group ate a similar amount of either reinforcer. Adolescent rats exhibited low expression of CB1R in the NAcc and low expression of both CB1R and CB2R in the PFC compared with adult and aged rats. Adolescent rats display higher motivation for palatable food and an indiscriminate seeking behavior suggesting involvement of both homeostatic and hedonic systems in their decision‐making processes. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 77: 917–927, 2017     

Passive immunization against nicotine attenuates nicotine discrimination

Ten rats were trained in a two lever operant chamber to press different levers after a nicotine injection (0.14 mg/kg s.c.) or a saline injection on an FR10 schedule. The rats were then injected i.p. with either 150 mg nicotine-specific IgG or the same amount of control IgG from non-immunized rabbits. On successive days, they were retested with both levers active after a saline injection, a full training dose of nicotine and a half dose of nicotine (0.07 mg/kg s.c.). After saline injection, both groups pressed the saline lever almost exclusively. After each of the nicotine doses, the immunized rats performed a significantly lower percentage of their lever presses on the nicotine lever than did non-immunized rats. The results suggest that passive immunization can interfere with the stimulus properties of nicotine.     

A discriminative two-lever test of dizocilpine's ability to reinstate ethanol-seeking behavior

Because ethanol has N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist effects, we tested whether dizocilpine, an NMDA antagonist, reinstates ethanol-seeking behavior. Rats were trained to lever-press for a 10% ethanol/2% sucrose (EtOH) or a 3% sucrose (Suc) solution using a two-lever (one lever active) procedure (FR2). After extinction, rats were injected with ethanol (0.5 g/kg). The EtOH group emitted more active than inactive lever presses and the Suc group showed minimal responding. Thus, ethanol reinstated ethanol-seeking behavior in a specific manner. In contrast, dizocilpine (0.175 mg/kg) increased responding on both levers in both groups suggesting a loss of discriminative control. Dizocilpine fails to reinstate ethanol-seeking behavior. These data also demonstrate the necessity of using a discriminative, two-lever test for drug reinstatement.     

Physical exercise intensity can be related to plasma glutathione levels

The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of different kinds of physical exercise on plasma glutathione levels. Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: In walking group (W; n=6), rats were trained to walk 0.8 m/min for 45 min; slow running group (SR; n=6) were trained to run 4 m/min for 45 min; fast running group (FR; n=6) ran 8m/min for 60 min and control rats (C; n=6) remained in their home cages. All animals were sacrificed after exercise and the levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) in plasma samples determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a fluorescent detector. Compared to controls, exercise did not change GSH plasma levels of the W group. A tendency to decrease blood GSH was observed in plasma samples of the SR group and in the FR group, physical exercise resulted in a dramatic decrease in GSH plasma levels. These data suggest that during light physical exercise there is a low production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) with a low request for antioxidant defence such as oxidation of GSH. The dramatic decrease observed in GSH levels in FR rats would indicate the presence of oxidative stress able to modify blood antioxidant profiles. Our results suggest that GSH plays a central antioxidant role in blood during intensive physical exercise and that its modifications are closely related to exercise intensity.     

Physical exercise intensity can be related to plasma glutathione levels

The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of different kinds of physical exercise on plasma glutathione levels. Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: In walking group (W; n=6), rats were trained to walk 0.8 m/min for 45 min; slow running group (SR; n=6) were trained to run 4 m/min for 45 min; fast running group (FR; n=6) ran 8m/min for 60 min and control rats (C; n=6) remained in their home cages. All animals were sacrificed after exercise and the levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) in plasma samples determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a fluorescent detector. Compared to controls, exercise did not change GSH plasma levels of the W group. A tendency to decrease blood GSH was observed in plasma samples of the SR group and in the FR group, physical exercise resulted in a dramatic decrease in GSH plasma levels. These data suggest that during light physical exercise there is a low production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) with a low request for antioxidant defence such as oxidation of GSH. The dramatic decrease observed in GSH levels in FR rats would indicate the presence of oxidative stress able to modify blood antioxidant profiles. Our results suggest that GSH plays a central antioxidant role in blood during intensive physical exercise and that its modifications are closely related to exercise intensity.     

Capsaicin does not attenuate bombesin-induced suppression of operant responding for food reward.

Systemic treatment with capsaicin, a neurotoxin which damages unmyelinated peptide-containing sensory neurons, has been shown to attenuate bombesin (BBS)-induced suppression of food intake. To determine whether capsaicin-sensitive fibers mediate the effect of BBS on appetitive motivation, we examined BBS-induced suppression of operant responding in rats pretreated neonatally with capsaicin (50 mg/kg; SC) or control vehicle. At 8-10 weeks of age, rats were trained to bar press for food. After achieving a stable level of performance, the animals were injected with BBS (10 micrograms/kg), normal saline, or prefed with 20 Noyes 45-mg pellets. Animals were then tested in an operant chamber on an FR 5 schedule of reinforcement for one hour. The results indicated that BBS suppressed bar pressing, regardless of whether animals were pretreated with capsaicin or control vehicle. These findings are inconsistent with the hypothesis that BBS induces satiety via capsaicin-sensitive neurons. The results suggest the possibility that more than one mechanism may mediate the effects of BBS: a neural mechanism involved in consummatory responses and a humoral mechanism involved in the operant response.     

Conditioned suppression as a method of detecting taste thresholds in the rat

Taste thresholds of seven male Sprague—Dawley rats (meanage 10 weeks, mean weight 250 g) were determined for four basictaste qualities: sweet, sour, salty and bitter. The method ofconditioned suppression was employed. An apparatus capable ofpresenting any one of eight separate drinking tubes during atesting session was designed. Animals were reduced to 80–85%ad lib. body weight. They were then trained to lick a sippertube through a slot in the back of an experimental chamber forpellet reinforcements. Animals progressed through a series ofreinforcement schedules starting with a fixed ratio (FR) scheduleof five licks for each reinforcement. They advanced to a variableratio (VR) schedule of reinforcement and finally a variableinterval (VI) schedule with a mean of 17.5 s was used. Whileon the VI schedule animals were trained to suppress lickingwhen any tastant other than water was presented. The first lickon any tastant was followed 10 s later by a mild electric shockif a rat made more than 20 licks on the tube in the 10-s period.Less than 20 licks on a tastant tube resulted in no shock anda 5-s time out before proceeding to the next tube. Thresholdwas determined using a suppression ratio formula. Thresholdwas defined as the 0.33 suppression ratio. Results from thisexperiment reveal mean thresholds for the seven animals as:sucrose = 2.3 mM, NaCl = 0.63 mM, quinine HCl = 0.005 mM andcitric acid = 0.085 mM.     

Sucrose self-administration and CNS activation in the rat

We have previously reported that administration of insulin into the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus decreases motivation for sucrose, assessed by a self-administration task, in rats. Because the pattern of central nervous system (CNS) activation in association with sucrose self-administration has not been evaluated, in the present study, we measured expression of c-Fos as an index of neuronal activation. We trained rats to bar-press for sucrose, according to a fixed-ratio (FR) or progressive-ratio (PR) schedule and mapped expression of c-Fos immunoreactivity in the CNS, compared with c-Fos expression in handled controls. We observed a unique expression of c-Fos in the medial hypothalamus (the arcuate, paraventricular, retrochiasmatic, dorsomedial, and ventromedial nuclei) in association with the onset of PR performance, and expression of c-Fos in the lateral hypothalamus and the bed nucleus of stria terminalis in association with the onset of FR performance. c-Fos expression was increased in the nucleus accumbens of both FR and PR rats. Our study emphasizes the importance of both hypothalamic energy homeostasis circuitry and limbic circuitry in the performance of a food reward task. Given the role of the medial hypothalamus in regulation of energy balance, our study suggests that this circuitry may contribute to reward regulation within the larger context of energy homeostasis.     

Operant behavior in transition reflects neonatal exposure to cadmium

Male Long-Evans rats were injected with 0, 1, 3, or 6 mg/kg of cadmium chloride on the first day of life. Animals free of morphological stigmata at weaning were selected for study. Tissue concentrations of cadmium and operant behavior under various fixed-ratio (FR) schedules of reinforcement were evaluated when these rats were adults. Dose-related increases in cadmium were present in the brains, livers, and kidneys. Dose-related differences in behavior were most evident during the transition from fixed ratio 25 (FR 25 or 25 responses/reinforcer) to FR 75. An inverted U describes the relationship between response output during the transition to FR 75 and cadmium chloride dose response output increased at 3 mg/kg and decreased at 6 mg/kg. The rate decreases were not correlated with weight loss that appeared after some of the animals exposed to 6 mg/kg reached 60 days of age. Challenge doses of d-amphetamine revealed no interaction between neonatal exposure to cadmium and d-amphetamine. The occurrence of alterations in operant behavior in animals that appeared normal on a number of preweaning evaluations suggests that operant behavior in transition was sensitive to subtle effects not observed with other commonly used tests. The data provide evidence for delayed effects in the adult that are due to neonatal exposure to cadmium.     

Augmented cocaine conditioned place preference in rats pretreated with systemic ghrelin

The physiological mechanism through which food restriction (FR) enhances the biobehavioral actions of psychostimulants is unknown but may involve the gut peptide ghrelin. Plasma levels of ghrelin are increased by FR and reduced by eating. Moreover, systemically administered ghrelin crosses into the brain and is known to augment the locomotor-stimulating effects of cocaine [COC: Wellman et al., 2005]. This study sought to determine whether pretreatment with ghrelin (5 nmol) would enhance the rewarding properties of COC (0.0, 0.312, 0.625, or 1.25 mg/kg i.p.) as measured by conditioned place preference (CPP). Adult male Sprague–Dawley rats were given free access to both sides of a CPP chamber to determine initial side preference. The rats were then confined for 30 min to either their preferred side or non-preferred side on 8 consecutive days. When rats were confined to the least preferred side, each was injected with 0.5 ml (i.p.) of either ghrelin (5 nmol) or saline 1 h before the conditioning trial and then injected (i.p.) with one of the COC doses immediately prior to the conditioning trial. On alternate days, rats were injected with vehicle one hour before and again immediately before the conditioning trial. Place preference scores were computed as the differences in time (min) spent on the least preferred side of the chamber for the pre-test and the postconditioning test, covaried by the initial degree of preference (% time spent on the black side during the pre-test). These analyses indicated a significant interaction between ghrelin pretreatment and COC dose on changes in preference scores. Significantly higher place preference scores were noted for rats treated with either 0.312 or 0.625 mg/kg COC doses, but only when these COC doses were preceded by administration of 5 nmol ghrelin. In contrast, saline pretreated rats exhibited significant CPP at the 1.25 mg/kg COC dose, but the ghrelin pretreated group did not. These results provide partial support for the contention that ghrelin pretreatment can augment the rewarding effects of sub-threshold doses of COC in a CPP procedure. Moreover, these findings are consistent with the view that ghrelin may play a role in the capacity of FR to augment psychostimulant action.     

Systemic ghrelin sensitizes cocaine-induced hyperlocomotion in rats

The feeding-relevant pathway by which food restriction (FR) augments cocaine action is unknown. Systemic administration of the 28-amino acid acylated peptide ghrelin (1-10 nmol) increases food intake in rats and circulating levels of rat ghrelin are up-regulated by FR. The present experiment examined the impact of repeated administration of ghrelin or vehicle on the subsequent capacity of cocaine to enhance locomotion in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were pretreated daily for seven days with 0, 5 or 10 nmol rat ghrelin (i.p.) in the home cage. On the 8th day, rats were transported to a testing room, placed in a locomotion chamber for 15 min, and then injected (i.p.) with 0, 7.5, or 15 mg/kg cocaine hydrochloride. Locomotor activity was monitored over a 45 min post-cocaine period. Pretreatment with 5 or 10 nmol ghrelin alone did not significantly increase basal locomotion relative to that of the 0 nmol ghrelin group. Rats pretreated with 5 nmol or 10 nmol ghrelin showed an enhanced locomotor response after treatment with 15 mg/kg cocaine relative to rats treated with 0 nmol ghrelin. These results indicate that acute injection of ghrelin, at a feeding-relevant dose, can augment the acute effects of cocaine on locomotion in rats.     

Orexins在雌性大鼠条件性蔗糖摄取中的作用研究

目的:探讨Orexins在雌性大鼠的摄取蔗糖的操作反应行为的作用,以及在线索诱导下恢复寻找蔗糖行为中的作用。方法:将雌性SD大鼠分为限制进食组和自由进食组,以固定比率和累进比率训练大鼠自己摄取蔗糖颗粒。通过Ox R1受体拮抗剂SB-334867预处理,观察SB-334867对大鼠按固定比率摄取蔗糖行为和在线索诱导下恢复寻找蔗糖行为的影响。结果:限制进食的大鼠表现出按压有效杠杆次数和获取蔗糖颗粒数显著增多(P0.05),按压无效杠杆次数稍微增多。SB-334867可显著减少限制进食大鼠按压有效杠杆次数(P0.05)。与对照组相比,SB-334867在消退期间可显著增加按压有效杠杆的次数(P0.05);在恢复期间,限制进食大鼠按压有效杠杆的次数显著增多(P0.05)。结论:Orexins系统在大鼠条件刺激诱导摄取蔗糖中可能存在性别差异。     

Repeated post trial administration of vasopressin impairs subsequent Differential Reinforcement of Low rates (DRL) performance

Twenty-six male rats, maintained on a 23-h food deprivation regime, were trained on a DRL learning schedule. During pretraining (CRF) rats were placed in two groups according to speed in obtaining the criterion (good and poor learners). The performance of good and poor learners, injected with lysine vasopressin (LVP) immediately after each training session, was compared with that of control good and poor learners injected with saline. During the first DRL 20 stage, injected rats had fewer reinforcements than control rats. Fifty-five days later, during reacquisition of DRL 20, LVP rats again had fewer reinforcements, especially those which were formerly good learners in the CRF stage. Nonetheless, treated rats were able to shift their rate of responding from high to low frequency. A reduction of the minimal interresponse time to 16 s showed that LVP rats were able to adapt to this condition and that, in a further DRL 20 stage, the difference between the two groups was no longer significant.The results are discussed in terms of a modification of the behavioral expression of a learned response, without a specific action on memory processes.     

Comparison of the instrumental reinforcer devaluation effect in two strains of rats (Wistar and Lister)

In this experiment, the effect of the reinforcer devaluation upon instrumental performance was analysed in two strains of rats (Wistar and Lister): Food deprived rats were trained to press a lever for sucrose pellets in a single session. Immediately after the fulfilment of this session, half of the Wistar and Lister rats received an injection of lithium chloride (LiCl), while the remaining animals were injected with a sodium chloride (NaCl) solution. A subsequent extinction test showed that the subjects who had received immediate LiCl did not press the lever as often as those injected with NaCl. No differences in response suppression were found between the two strains of rats. These results also show that a single devaluation experience is sufficient for an impact on instrumental performance.     

Central application of IGF-1 postpones time of vaginal opening in normally fed, but not in food-restricted rats

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Central but also peripheral IGF-1 is suggested to play a role in the initiation of puberty as it directly affects GnRH synthesis and release. A possible intermediate in the effects of IGF-1 on puberty might be the adiposity-signaling hormone leptin, whose plasma levels are decreased in food-restricted (FR) rats. METHODS: IGF-1 was chronically centrally infused in 23-day-old prepubertal female rats which were either normally fed or 30% FR, and the effects on time of vaginal opening (VO) and plasma leptin levels were monitored. RESULTS: FR treatment postponed time of VO and decreased plasma leptin levels. In normally fed rats centrally infused with IGF-1, time of VO was found to be postponed to the same extent as FR treatment did. The IGF-1 infusion did not affect plasma leptin levels in normally fed animals but increased leptin levels in the FR group compared to controls. Daily food intake was equal between all groups but body weight course was lower in FR rats. IGF-1 treatment did not significantly affect food intake or body weight course. CONCLUSION: FR treatment delays the moment of vaginal opening to the same extent as observed in normally fed rats that were centrally infused with IGF-1.     

Interactions among unit-price, fixed-ratio value, and dosing regimen in determining effects of repeated cocaine administration

Previous research has shown tolerance to cocaine that was dependent on fixed-ratio (FR) parameter size in the context of a multiple FR schedule of food reinforcement. Completion of the FR requirement in these studies resulted in the same magnitude of reinforcement, regardless of ratio size. The cost-to-benefits ratio (unit-price) was therefore not equated across the different FR components. The current study examined the effects of repeated administration of cocaine to pigeons when unit-price under FR schedules was either the same or different. Additionally, the role of a chronic variable-dosing versus chronic fixed-dosing procedure was examined when unit-price was equated across different ratio values. Pigeons were trained to key peck in daily sessions under a three-component multiple FR schedule of food presentation, according to which either 10, 30, or 100 pecks were required for each delivery of food. In Experiment 1, completion of the FR 10, FR 30, and FR 100 resulted in 1.5, 4.5, and 15.0 s access to food, respectively. That is, the response requirement was correlated with access to food time so that unit-price (pecks per second of access to food) was equated across components. After assessing acute effects of a range of doses of cocaine, drug administration occurred daily before each session, with the dose varying from day to day. Tolerance, the magnitude of which was unrelated to the peck requirement, developed under the repeated-dosing regimen. In order to assess whether having equal unit-price was responsible for producing similar levels of tolerance across components, daily drug administration continued in Experiment 2 using the variable-dose regimen, but the amount of food presented each time was fixed at 4.5 s access to food, yielding different unit-prices under the three pecking requirements. Subsequently, the conditions of Experiment 1 were reinstated, i.e., unit-price was equated. Making unit-price different or the same had little influence on effects of cocaine. In Experiment 3, a fixed dose of cocaine was administered before each session while programmed unit-price remained the same across components. Under these conditions, tolerance became peck-requirement related. Specifically, tolerance was most prevalent under the smaller requirements and less robust or absent when the largest requirement was in effect. Differences in unit-price, therefore, were not related to degree of tolerance, but work requirement was. Differences in effects of cocaine across responses requirements, however, were observed only when each session was preceded by the same dose, not when dose varied from session to session.     

The effects of food restriction and hypophysectomy on numbers of primordial follicles and concentrations of hormones in rats

Three experiments were done to examine the effects of food restriction, beginning at 21 days of age, on loss of primordial follicles and on concentrations of gonadotropins and sex steroids in rats. In Experiment 1, food restriction (FR) from 21 to 51-55 days of age had no effect on number of primordial follicles, but increased the plasma concentration (p less than 0.05) of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). (p less than 0.05). In Experiment 2, comparisons were made of groups of rats (1) fed ad libitum (AL) (2) hypophysectomized at 21 days of age and fed ad libitum (AL-HY), (3) food restriction from 21 to 52-58 days of age (FR), and (4) food restriction with twice-daily injections of follicular fluid (FR-FF). Hypophysectomy was the only treatment that decreased the loss of primordial follicles (p less than 0.001). Concentrations of FSH were decreased in AL-HY and increased in FR and FR-FF rats (144 +/- 13, 53 +/- 15, 275 +/- 30 and 359 +/- 56 ng/ml in AL, AL-HY, FR and FR-FF rats, respectively). Concentrations of luteinizing hormone (LH) were lower (p less than 0.05) in AL-HY, FR and FR-FF rats than in AL rats. In Experiment 3, AL and FR rats were unilaterally ovariectomized (ULO) at 30 days of age. Blood samples were taken 5 days prior to ULO, at ULO and at 12 h, 5 days, and 22-28 days after ULO.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Selective interaction of drugs with a discriminable stimulus associated with narcotic actions

Rats were trained to bar press on either one of two levers depending on whether they received an injection of morphine (10 mg/kg) or saline. The rats responded on the morphine-correct lever when injected with another narcotic, fentanyl, but responded on the saline-correct lever when injected with a narcotic antagonist or another CNS active, but non-narcotic, drug (e.g., amphetamine, apomorphine). The narcotic antagonist, naloxone, prevented the occurrence of the narcotic discriminable stimulus, but the rats responded on the morphine-correct lever when injected with morphine plus any of a number of potent CNS active, but non-narcotic compounds. These results are discussed with reference to the specificity of this procedure for detecting drugs with narcotic agonist or antagonist properties.     

Effect of isradipine,a dihydropyridine-calcium antagonist on I.V. self-administration of morphine in rats

The effect of dihydropyridine calcium channel antagonist isradipine (PN 200-110) on morphine reinforcement has been investigated using i.v. self-administration test in rats. Rats were given the opportunity to self-administer a solution of morphine (1 mg/Ml, i.v.) in a 1 hr limited access paradigm (FR = 1). Within 5–7 days rats had learned to self-administer approximately 1 mg of morphine in 1 hr as evidenced by a plateau of responding. The administration of isradipine (1.2, 2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg s.c.) 90 min before the morphine self-administration session, induced dose-dependent increase in the number of morphine self-infusions with respect to basal values. This response pattern was very similar to the one observed when morphine solution was substituted by saline in trained rats not treated with isradipine. The results indicate that isradipine inhibits partially the reinforcing properties of morphine in self-administration test.     

Effects of training on glucose metabolism of gluconeogenesis-inhibited short-term-fasted rats

To evaluate the effects of endurance training on gluconeogenesis and blood glucose homeostasis, trained as well as untrained short-term-fasted rats were injected with mercaptopicolinic acid (MPA), a gluconeogenic inhibitor, or the injection vehicle. Glucose kinetics were assessed by primed-continuous venous infusion of [U-14C]- and [6-3H]glucose at rest and during submaximal exercise at 13.4 m/min on level grade. Arterial blood was sampled for the determination of blood glucose and lactate concentrations and specific activities. In resting untrained sham-injected rats, blood glucose and lactate were 7.6 +/- 0.2 and 1.3 +/- 0.1 mM, respectively; glucose rate of appearance (Ra) was 71.1 +/- 12.1 mumol.kg-1.min-1. MPA treatment lowered blood glucose, raised lactate, and decreased glucose Ra. Trained animals had significantly higher glucose Ra at rest and during exercise. At rest, trained MPA-treated rats had lower blood glucose, higher blood lactate, and similar glucose Ra and disappearance rates (Rd) than trained sham-injected animals. Exercising sham-injected untrained animals had increased blood glucose and glucose Ra compared with rest. Exercising trained sham-injected rats had increased blood glucose and glucose Ra and Rd but no change in blood lactate compared with untrained sham-injected animals. In the trained animals during exercise, MPA treatment increased blood lactate and decreased blood glucose and glucose Ra and Rd. There was no measurable glucose recycling in trained or untrained MPA-treated animals either at rest or during submaximal exercise. There was no difference in running time to exhaustion between trained and untrained MPA-treated rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)