Brain activation by an olfactory stimulus paired with juvenile play in female rats.
We have previously shown that reward experienced during social play at juvenile age can be paired with artificial odors, and later in adulthood facilitate olfactory conditioned partner preferences (PP) in female rats. Herein, we examined the expression of FOS immunoreactivity (FOS-IR) following exposure to the odor paired with juvenile play (CS+). Starting at day P31 females received daily 30-min periods of social play with lemon-scented (paired group) or unscented females (unpaired group). At day P42, they were tested for play-PP with two juvenile males, one bearing the CS+ (lemon) and one bearing a novel odor (almond). Females were ovariectomized, hormone-primed and at day P55 tested for sexual-PP between two adult stud males scented with lemon or almond. In both tests, females from the paired group displayed conditioned PP (play or sexual) toward males bearing the CS+. In the present experiments females were exposed at day P59 to the CS+ during 60 min and their brains processed for FOS-IR. One group of female rats (Play+Sex) underwent play-PP and sexual-PP, whereas a second group of females (Play-only) underwent exclusively play-PP but not sexual-PP. Results showed that in the Play-only experiment exposure to the CS+ induced more FOS-IR in the medial prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, dorsal striatum, and ventral tegmental area as compared to females from the unpaired group. In the Play+Sex experiment, more FOS-IR was observed in the piriform cortex, dorsal striatum, lateral septum, nucleus accumbens shell, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and medial amygdala as compared to females from the unpaired group. Taken together, these results indicate mesocorticolimbic brain areas direct the expectation and/or choice of conditioned partners in female rats. In addition, transferring the meaning of play to sex preference requires different brain areas.
Centro de Investigaciones Cerebrales, Universidad Veracruzana, Av. Luis Castelazo Ayala s/n, Colonia Industrial Las Animas, 91190 Xalapa, Ver., Mexico; Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 655 West Baltimore Street, BRB 5-004, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. Electronic address: pramos@som.umaryland.edu.
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Paredes-Ramos
Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 655 West Baltimore Street, BRB 4-002, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. Electronic address: mmccarth@umaryland.edu.
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McCarthy
Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 655 West Baltimore Street, BRB 5-004, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. Electronic address: mbowe006@umaryland.edu.
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JM
Bowers
Área de Psicobiologia, Universidad Jaume I, Avenida Sos Baynat s/n, 12071 Castellón, Spain. Electronic address: miquel@psb.uji.es.
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Miquel
Centro de Investigaciones Cerebrales, Universidad Veracruzana, Av. Luis Castelazo Ayala s/n, Colonia Industrial Las Animas, 91190 Xalapa, Ver., Mexico. Electronic address: jmanzo@uv.mx.
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Manzo
Centro de Investigaciones Cerebrales, Universidad Veracruzana, Av. Luis Castelazo Ayala s/n, Colonia Industrial Las Animas, 91190 Xalapa, Ver., Mexico. Electronic address: gcoria@uv.mx.
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Coria-Avila
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003214:Conditioning, Classical; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009812:Odorants; D016761:Oncogene Proteins v-fos / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010052:Ovariectomy; D010988:Play and Playthings / Q000523:psychology*; D051381:Rats; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology*; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology*
D016761:Oncogene Proteins v-fos
Conditioning stimulus; FOS immunoreactivity; Olfactory stimulus; Partner preference; Sexual behavior; Social play