Open field behavior and intra-nucleus accumbens dopamine release in vivo in virgin and lactating rats

In adult female mammals, reproductive experience (e.g., mating, pregnancy, parturition, and lactation) has long-term behavioral, endocrine, and neurochemical implications. This experience causes behavioral and neurochemical changes that involve several brain areas important for the expression of mat...

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Published in:Psychology & Neuroscience 2011-01, Vol.4 (1), p.115-121
Main Authors: Habr, Soraya Ferreira, Bernardi, Maria Martha, Conceição, Isaltino Marcelo, Freitas, Thalma Ariani, Felicio, Luciano Freitas
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal
Animal Locomotion
Animal Open Field Behavior
Dopamine
Female
Lactation
Male
NEUROSCIENCES
Nucleus Accumbens
PSYCHOLOGY, BIOLOGICAL
Rats
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Summary:In adult female mammals, reproductive experience (e.g., mating, pregnancy, parturition, and lactation) has long-term behavioral, endocrine, and neurochemical implications. This experience causes behavioral and neurochemical changes that involve several brain areas important for the expression of maternal behavior. The present study showed that lactating rats exhibited reduced general locomotor activity in the open field test compared with virgin animals. Our hypothesis was that nucleus accumbens dopamine, which regulates maternal behavior in lactating rats, is also involved in the low expression of maternal locomotion in the open field test observed during the early stages of lactation and reflects decreased motivation. Initially we compared open field behavior in virgin and lactating rats to confirm our previous data. Thus, the in vivo release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens in virgin and lactating female rats was measured. Perfusate concentrations of extracellular dopamine and its metabolites showed no differences between virgin and lactating rats. Thus, the reduced general activity observed in lactating rats might not be related to intra-nucleus accumbens dopamine control.
ISSN:1984-3054
1983-3288
1983-3288
DOI:10.3922/j.psns.2011.1.013