title: Low doses of the 5-HT1A receptor agonist 8-OH-DPAT increase ingestive behavior in late preweanling and postweanling, but not neonatal rat pups.
abstract: Late preweanling (postnatal day 17-18; P17-18) and postweanling (P28-29) Sprague-Dawley rat pups were tested in the presence of both mash and liquid diets following s.c. administration of 0, 0.03, 0.06, 0.1 or 0.5 mg/kg of the 5-HT1A receptor agonist 8-hydroxy-2(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT). Preweanling pups exhibited both a low dose stimulatory and high dose depressant effect of 8-OH-DPAT on mash-related ingestive behaviors, whereas postweanling rat pups were less sensitive to 8-OH-DPAT, exhibiting only an increase in mash ingestion within the dose range examined. In contrast, when neonatal (P3-4) rat pups were tested with milk across a dose range of 0.001-1.0 mg/kg 8-OH-DPAT, no increases in ingestion were seen, with lower doses in this range having no detectable effects and higher doses decreasing ingestion and mouthing. To the extent that low doses of 8-OH-DPAT increase feeding via preferential stimulation of 5-HT1A autoreceptors, these data suggest that neonates may lack functional 5-HT1A autoreceptors, with these receptors maturing by the late preweanling period.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, State University of New York, Binghamton 13902-6000.
authors.forename: L P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Spear
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Frambes
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Goodwin
mesh_terms: D017371:8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D000833:Animals, Suckling / Q000502:physiology*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D005508:Food Deprivation / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin / Q000187:drug effects; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical; D013764:Tetrahydronaphthalenes / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D011985:Receptors, Serotonin; D013764:Tetrahydronaphthalenes; D017371:8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin