title: Injections of the NMDA-antagonist D-2-amino-7-phosphonoheptanoic acid (AP-7) into the nucleus accumbens of rats enhance switching between cue-directed behaviours in a swimming test procedure.
abstract: The present study explores the behavioural effects of intra-accumbens injections of D-2-amino-7-phosphonoheptanoic acid (AP-7), a selective competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, using a swimming test procedure, in which rats were forced to swim for 6 min. The behaviour of the rats was analysed in terms of cue-directed (CDBs) and non-cue-directed behaviours (NCDBs). AP-7 (100-500 ng/0.5 microliter) dose-dependently enhanced the number of switches to CDBs, without affecting the number of switches to NCDBs. Further analysis of the data showed that the number of switches between CDBs was enhanced, while no effect was found on the number of switches from NCDBs to CDBs, from CDBs to NCDBs or between NCDBs. These data suggest that the NMDA-receptor in the nucleus accumbens is involved in the ability to switch between cue-directed behaviours.
authors.affiliation: Psychoneuropharmacological Research Unit, Catholic University Nijmegen, Netherlands.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van den Bos
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Charria Ortiz
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Cools
mesh_terms: D015763:2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003463:Cues; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004924:Escape Reaction / Q000187:drug effects*; D007267:Injections; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000187:drug effects*; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000187:drug effects*; D009949:Orientation / Q000187:drug effects*; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000187:drug effects*; D013550:Swimming
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D000927:Anticonvulsants; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D015763:2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate; C031231:2-amino-7-phosphonoheptanoic acid; D004298:Dopamine