Responding for brain stimulation reward in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in alcohol-preferring rats following alcohol and amphetamine pretreatments.
The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) has been reported to release increased levels of extracellular dopamine (DA) following the systemic administration of abused drugs in outbred rats. This study examined the BNST as a novel locus for supporting operant responding for brain stimulation reward (BSR) in rats bred for alcohol preference while determining any potentiating effects of ethanol (EtOH) (0.125-1.25 g/kg, i.p.) and amphetamine (0.25-1.60 mg/kg, i.p.) on BSR within the BNST. Also examined was the capability of D1 receptor blockade to attenuate any observed potentiation. Following surgical implantation, alcohol-preferring (P) and non-preferring (NP) rats responded to a range of descending frequencies (300-20 Hz) as evaluated by a rate-frequency paradigm. The results revealed that the BNST was capable of supporting BSR in P but not NP rats. Also, amphetamine pretreatment produced a significant leftward shift in the rate-frequency function in P rats with significant reductions observed in three other measures of reward threshold, while EtOH only lowered the minimum frequency needed to produce responding. The effects of systemic amphetamine were successfully attenuated by the unilateral infusion of the D1 receptor antagonist SCH 23390 (5.0 microg) into the contralateral nucleus accumbens. The results suggest the BNST is capable of supporting BSR performance in P, but not NP rats, possibly due to increased sensitivity to the electrical stimulation-induced DA release of BSR in the innately DA "deficient" limbic system of P rats.
Eiler
William J A
WJ
Psychobiology of Addictions Program, Department of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, USA.
Hardy
Lathen
L
Goergen
Josuha
J
Seyoum
Regat
R
Mensah-Zoe
Boikai
B
June
Harry L
HL
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology; D000438:Alcohols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000661:Amphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D001552:Benzazepines / Q000494:pharmacology; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D012201:Reward; D012686:Septal Nuclei / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects
D000438:Alcohols; D001552:Benzazepines; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors; D000661:Amphetamine