The adrenergic α2 receptor and sexual incentive motivation in male rats

2006 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 360-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timo Viitamaa ◽  
Antti Haapalinna ◽  
Anders Ågmo
Keyword(s):  
Incentive Motivation ◽  
Male Rats

scholarly journals Taking rapid and intermittent cocaine infusions enhances both incentive motivation for the drug and cocaine-induced gene regulation in corticostriatal regions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellie-Anna Minogianis ◽  
Anne-Noël Samaha
Keyword(s):  
Gene Regulation ◽  
Mrna Expression ◽  
Progressive Ratio ◽  
Incentive Motivation ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
Behavioural Plasticity ◽  
Self Administration ◽  
Drug Induced ◽  
Intermittent Access ◽  
Long Access

ABSTRACTA goal in addiction research is to distinguish forms of neuroplasticity that are involved in the transition to addiction from those involved in mere drug taking. Animal models of drug self-administration are essential in this context. Here, we compared in male rats two cocaine self-administration procedures that differ in the extent to which they evoke addiction-like behaviours. We measured both incentive motivation for cocaine using progressive ratio procedures, and cocaine-induced c-fos mRNA expression, a marker of neuronal activity. Rats self-administered intravenous cocaine (0.25 mg/kg/infusion) for seven daily 6-hour sessions. One group had intermittent access (IntA; 6 minutes ON, 26 minutes OFF x 12) to rapid infusions (delivered over 5 seconds). This models the temporal kinetics of human cocaine use and produces robust addiction-like behaviour. The other group had Long access (LgA) to slower infusions (90 seconds). This produces high levels of intake without promoting robust addiction-like behaviour. LgA-90s rats took twice as much cocaine as IntA-5s rats did, but IntA-5s rats showed greater incentive motivation for the drug. Following a final self-administration session, we quantified c-fos mRNA expression in corticostriatal regions. Compared to LgA-90s rats, IntA-5s rats had more cocaine-induced c-fos mRNA in the orbitofrontal and prelimbic cortices and the caudate-putamen. Thus, a cocaine self-administration procedure (intermittent intake of rapid infusions) that promotes increased incentive motivation for the drug also enhances cocaine-induced gene regulation in corticostriatal regions. This suggests that increased drug-induced recruitment of these regions could contribute to the neural and behavioural plasticity underlying the transition to addiction.

Sexual incentive motivation in male rats requires both androgens and estrogens

2010 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 341-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martti Attila ◽  
Riikka Oksala ◽  
Anders Ågmo
Keyword(s):  
Incentive Motivation ◽  
Male Rats

scholarly journals The basolateral nucleus of the amygdala regulates both the predictive and incentive motivational properties of reward cues

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Servonnet ◽  
Giovanni Hernandez ◽  
Cynthia El Hage ◽  
Pierre-Paul Rompré ◽  
Anne-Noël Samaha
Keyword(s):  
Pavlovian Conditioning ◽  
Predictive Value ◽  
Basolateral Amygdala ◽  
Incentive Motivation ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
Neuron Activity ◽  
Food Cues ◽  
Reward Seeking ◽  
Basolateral Nucleus ◽  
Lever Pressing

ABSTRACTReward-associated stimuli can acquire both predictive and incentive motivational properties. These conditioned stimuli (CS) can then guide reward-seeking behaviour in adaptive (e.g., locating food) and maladaptive (e.g., binge eating) ways. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) contributes to learning of the predictive value of CS, but less is known about BLA contributions to the incentive motivational properties of appetitive CS. Here we studied the influence of BLA neuron activity on both the predictive and incentive motivational effects of CS. Water-restricted male rats learned to associate a light-tone cue (CS) with water delivery into a port. We assessed the predictive value to the CS by measuring CS-evoked port entries during Pavlovian conditioning. We assessed CS-evoked incentive motivation by measuring lever-pressing for the CS during instrumental responding sessions. During Pavlovian conditioning, we paired CS presentations with photo-stimulation of channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2)-expressing BLA neurons. This potentiated CS-evoked port entries during conditioning, but suppressed subsequent lever-pressing for the CS. This indicates increased conditioned responding to the CS, but an apparent decrease in incentive motivation for that CS. However, in rats previously naïve to photo-stimulation, pairing BLA-ChR2 stimulations during lever-pressing for the CS intensified responding, indicating enhanced motivation for the CS. Rats did not self-administer BLA-ChR2 stimulations, suggesting that BLA activation does not carry a primary reward signal. Lastly, intra-BLA infusions of d-amphetamine also intensified lever-pressing for the CS. These converging findings suggest that BLA mediated-activity enhances both the predictive and incentive motivational properties of CS, allowing BLA-dependent circuits to guide behaviour in the presence of reward-associated cues.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTCues paired with rewards can guide animals to valuable resources such as food. Cues can also promote dysfunctional reward-seeking behaviour, as in over-eating. Reward-paired cues influence reward seeking through two major mechanisms. First, reward-paired cues are predictive and thus evoke anticipation of future rewards. Second, reward-paired cues are powerful motivators and they can evoke pursuit in their own right. Here we show that increasing neural activity in the basolateral amygdala enhances both the predictive and motivational effects of reward-paired cues. The basolateral amygdala therefore facilitates cue-induced control over behaviour by both increasing anticipation for impending rewards and making reward cues more attractive.

scholarly journals Silencing and stimulating the medial amygdala impairs ejaculation but not sexual incentive motivation in male rats

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patty T. Huijgens ◽  
Roy Heijkoop ◽  
Eelke M.S. Snoeren
Keyword(s):  
Viral Vectors ◽  
Behavioral Control ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Incentive Motivation ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Medial Amygdala ◽  
Neuronal Populations ◽  
Ejaculation Latency

The medial amygdala (MeA) is a sexually dimorphic brain region that integrates sensory information and hormonal signaling, and is involved in the regulation of social behaviors. Lesion studies have shown a role for the MeA in copulation, most prominently in the promotion of ejaculation. The role of the MeA in sexual motivation, but also in temporal patterning of copulation, has not been extensively studied in rats. Here, we investigated the effect of chemogenetic inhibition and stimulation of the MeA on sexual incentive motivation and copulation in sexually experienced male rats. AAV5-CaMKIIa viral vectors coding for Gi, Gq, or no DREADDs (sham) were bilaterally infused into the MeA. Rats were assessed in the sexual incentive motivation test and copulation test upon systemic CNO or vehicle administration. We report that MeA stimulation and inhibition did not affect sexual incentive motivation. Moreover, both stimulation and inhibition of the MeA decreased the number of ejaculations in a 30 minute copulation test and increased ejaculation latency and the number of mounts and intromissions preceding ejaculation, while leaving the temporal pattern of copulation intact. These results indicate that the MeA may be involved in the processing of sensory feedback required to reach ejaculation threshold. The convergence of the behavioral effects of stimulating as well as inhibiting the MeA may reflect opposing behavioral control of specific neuronal populations within the MeA.

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