The reward system and maternal behavior in an animal model of depression: a microdialysis study.
OBJECTIVE
Flinders sensitive line (FSL) rats, an animal model of depression, display a different pattern of maternal behavior compared to Sprague-Dawley (SD) controls. In this study, we examined the rewarding value of mother-infant interaction for FSL dams.


METHODS
In the main study, we measured monoamine levels in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of early postpartum FSL and SD dams during an interaction with pups, using the microdialysis technique. In addition, we compared the preference patterns of FSL and SD rats using the conditioned place preference paradigm, with pups as the unconditioned stimuli.


RESULTS
Dopamine (DA) levels in dialysates from the NAc of SD dams but not FSL dams were elevated while interacting with pups but the metabolism of DA to dihydroxyphenylacetic acid was greater in FSL than in SD dams. While SD dams showed a conditioned preference for a region that was associated with SD pups, FSL dams did not show a preference for regions associated either with SD or FSL pups, but water deprived FSL rats demonstrated a preference to a region associated with water, eliminating an alternative explanation of learning deficit in FSL rats.


CONCLUSIONS
Taken together, these results suggest that FSL dams are less rewarded by pups, compared to control dams.
Lavi-Avnon
Yael
Y
Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel.
Weller
Aron
A
Finberg
John P M
JP
Gispan-Herman
Iris
I
Kinor
Noa
N
Stern
Yaakov
Y
Schroeder
Mariana
M
Gelber
Vered
V
Bergman
S Yoav
SY
Overstreet
David H
DH
Yadid
Gal
G
D015102:3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D001835:Body Weight; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D015314:Dialysis Solutions / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004298:Dopamine / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006719:Homovanillic Acid / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D017551:Microdialysis / Q000379:methods; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012201:Reward; D012701:Serotonin / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism
D015314:Dialysis Solutions; D015102:3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid; D012701:Serotonin; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid; D004298:Dopamine; D006719:Homovanillic Acid