Neurochemical basis of conditioned partner preference in the female rat: II. Disruption by flupenthixol.
The effects of the dopamine receptor antagonist flupenthixol 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 males with paced and nonpaced copulation, respectively. Females in Experiment 2 associated albino or pigmented males with paced or nonpaced copulation. Flupenthixol or saline was administered before each conditioning trial. During a final drug-free preference test, females could choose to copulate with either a pacing-related or nonpacing-related male. Saline-trained females copulated preferentially with the pacing-related male, whereas flupenthixol disrupted odor but not strain conditioning. The role of dopamine in conditioned partner preference depends on the type of stimuli to be learned.
Coria-Avila
Genaro A
GA
Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada. coria75@yahoo.com
Gavrila
Alex M
AM
Boulard
Brigitte
B
Charron
Natalie
N
Stanley
Geoffrey
G
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; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D005475:Flupenthixol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D052586:Mating Preference, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology; D013045:Species Specificity
D018492:Dopamine Antagonists; D005475:Flupenthixol