title: Inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis with L-NAME suppresses isolation-induced ultrasounds in rat pups.
abstract: The present experiments examined the impact of manipulating the NO system on production of isolation-induced ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in 10- and 11-day-old rat pups. Pups were tested under both high- and low-baseline USV emission; the latter was accomplished by pretest administration of cocaine, a drug known to suppress USVs. Treatment with 10, 50, or 100 mg/kg (but not 1 mg/kg) of the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor L-nitro-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) significantly attenuated USV production, as did injection of 10 mg/kg cocaine; combined treatment with both drugs did not result in greater suppression, perhaps due to a floor effect. Although cocaine increased locomotor activity, treatment with L- or D-NAME alone did not alter activity levels. Exposure to L-NAME induced some hypothermia, although these alterations in body temperature were not systematically related to the drug-induced suppression of USVs. Alterations in USV production by L-NAME were not evident after pretreatment with the less active isomer D-NAME, evidence supporting the importance of NO synthesis inhibition per se in the marked L-NAME-induced suppression of USVs in isolated infant rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Center for Developmental Psychobiology, Binghamton University, NY 13902-6000, USA.
authors.forename: J O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Fogarty
authors.forename: L P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Spear
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D003042:Cocaine / Q000494:pharmacology; D003864:Depression, Chemical; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012934:Social Isolation; D014465:Ultrasonics; D014828:Vocalization, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D003042:Cocaine; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester