Rats Self-Administer Carbachol Directly into the Nucleus Accumbens

The potential reinforcing effect of the muscarinic cholinergic agonist carbachol within the nucleus accumbens (ACB) was examined in female Wistar rats by using the technique of intracranial self-administration. Rats dose dependently self-administered solutions of 0.0–6.6 mM (in a volume of 100 nL pe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physiology & behavior 1998-03, Vol.63 (5), p.811-814
Main Authors: Ikemoto, Satoshi, Glazier, Bradley S, Murphy, James M, McBride, William J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Behavioral psychophysiology
Biological and medical sciences
Brain Mapping
Carbachol
Carbachol - administration & dosage
Caudate Nucleus - drug effects
Caudate Nucleus - physiology
Caudate putamen
Cholinergic muscarinic receptors
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Injections
Intracerebral self-administration
Motivation
Neurotransmission and behavior
Nucleus accumbens
Nucleus Accumbens - drug effects
Nucleus Accumbens - physiology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Putamen - drug effects
Putamen - physiology
Rats
Rats, Wistar
Receptors, Muscarinic - drug effects
Receptors, Muscarinic - physiology
Reinforcement
Reward
Self Administration
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Summary:The potential reinforcing effect of the muscarinic cholinergic agonist carbachol within the nucleus accumbens (ACB) was examined in female Wistar rats by using the technique of intracranial self-administration. Rats dose dependently self-administered solutions of 0.0–6.6 mM (in a volume of 100 nL per injection) directly into the ACB. Rats self-administered the 3.3 and 6.6 mM doses significantly more than the group given only vehicle. The caudate putamen did not support reliable self-administration of the 6.6-mM dose. Rats exhibited preference for the lever that produced infusions of 3.3 and 6.6 mM carbachol into the ACB over the lever that had no consequence. The self-infusion of the 6.6-mM dose into the ACB was inhibited by the coadministration of the muscarinic antagonist scopolamine (0.25 mM), but not by the nicotinic antagonist mecamylamine (6.6 mM). The present results suggest that direct activation of muscarinic receptors within the ACB supports self-administration and could result from reinforcement or from elicitation of a novel stimulus.
ISSN:0031-9384
1873-507X
DOI:10.1016/S0031-9384(98)00007-9