Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
4347492 | Neuroscience Letters | 2009 | 5 Pages |
Abstract
Ultrasonic vocalization at 55Â kHz (55Â kHz-USVs) by rodents has been proposed to be a behavioral manifestation of affectively positive incentive motivation. To examine the extent to which 55Â kHz-USV emissions correlate with cocaine-induced locomotor activity, we measured cocaine-induced 55Â kHz-USVs and their relationship to cocaine-induced locomotor sensitization in rats. We demonstrate that similar to locomotor responses, 55Â kHz-USVs are also sensitized by exposure to cocaine. Furthermore, we show that the magnitude of cocaine-induced 55Â kHz-USV sensitization is positively correlated with that of locomotor sensitization. Moreover, we demonstrate that rats selectively bred for high rates of 55Â kHz-USVs exhibit higher levels of cocaine-induced 55Â kHz-USV sensitization than animals selectively bred for low levels of 55Â kHz USVs. These results suggest that the neural circuits underlying 55Â kHz-USV, which may directly reflect affective experience/motivation, can be sensitized by cocaine in a way that resembles locomotor sensitization.
Related Topics
Life Sciences
Neuroscience
Neuroscience (General)
Authors
Ping Mu, Thomas Fuchs, Daniel B. Saal, Barbara A. Sorg, Yan Dong, Jaak Panksepp,