title: DSP-4 treatment influences olfactory preferences of developing rats.
abstract: Control cagemates of rats treated with the norepinephrine (NE) neurotoxin DSP-4, showed normal olfactory learning as infants, but abnormal aversion to home-cage odors as juveniles. Neither age nor social housing conditions influenced the odor preferences of DSP-4-treated rats: they showed tolerance or attraction to familiar odors at both developmental stages. Controls, but not DSP-4-treated juveniles, housed in mixed treatment groups, showed elevated concentrations of a serotonin metabolite and reduced NE concentrations in the hippocampus, suggesting that this social situation was particularly stressful for the controls. DSP-4-treated juveniles, but not infants, produced odors that were discriminable from controls'. Thus, conflicting olfactory signals in the home-cages of mixed juvenile groups may have led to the development of stress in controls. NE depletion appeared to lessen social stress effects in their DSP-4-treated cagemates. These findings support other data suggesting that NE modulates the biobehavioral effects of the social environment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, NY 13244-2340, USA.
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Cornwell
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cole
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fukada
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gianulli
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Rathbone
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: McFarlane
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: McGaugh
mesh_terms: D018663:Adrenergic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000254:growth & development*; D001596:Benzylamines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D009830:Olfactory Bulb / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018663:Adrenergic Agents; D001596:Benzylamines; D012701:Serotonin; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid; C012102:DSP 4