Neurochemical basis of conditioned partner preference in the female rat: I. Disruption by naloxone.
The effects of the opioid antagonist naloxone were examined on the development of conditioned partner preference induced by paced copulation in female rats. In Experiment 1, ovariectomized, hormone-primed rats were conditioned to associate scented and unscented male rats with paced and nonpaced copulation, respectively. Female rats in Experiment 2 associated albino or pigmented male rats with paced or nonpaced copulation. Naloxone or saline was administered before each conditioning trial. During a final drug-free preference test, female rats could choose to copulate with either a pacing related or unrelated male. Saline-trained female rats in the paired group copulated preferentially with the pacing-related male rat, whereas naloxone-trained female rats did not show a preference. The authors concluded that opioids mediated the conditioned partner preference induced by paced copulation.
Coria-Avila
Genaro A
GA
Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada.coria75@yahoo.com
Solomon
Carrie E
CE
Vargas
Erica Barbosa
EB
Lemme
Ivana
I
Ryan
Richard
R
Ménard
Shann
S
Gavrila
Alex M
AM
Pfaus
James G
JG
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001245:Association Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000187:drug effects*; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D052586:Mating Preference, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D009270:Naloxone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology; D013045:Species Specificity
D009292:Narcotic Antagonists; D009270:Naloxone