Neurobiological changes in striatal glutamate are associated with trait impulsivity of differential reinforcement of low-rate-response behavior in male rats.

Neurobiological changes in striatal glutamate are associated with trait impulsivity of differential reinforcement of low-rate-response behavior in male rats. Neurobiol Learn Mem. 2020 Nov 27;:107352 Authors: Chuang CY, Tsai SY, Chen SF, Yang YH, Chao CC, Yen NS, Liao RM Abstract Impulsive action can be measured using rat's responses on a differential reinforcement of low-rate-response (DRL) task in which performance may be varied between rats. Nevertheless, neurobiological profiles underlying the trait impulsivity of DRL behavior remain largely unknown. Here, in vivo non-invasive proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) and Western blot assay were performed to assess neurobiological changes in the dorsal striatum (DS) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) in relation to individual differences in DRL behavior. A cohort of rats was subjected to acquire a DRL task over 14 daily sessions. High impulsive (HI) and low impulsive (LI) rats were screened by behavioral measures displaying a lower response efficiency and performing more nonreinforced responses in HI rats and vice versa. MRS measurements indicated that the HI group had a lower NAc glutamate (Glu) level than did the LI group, whereas no such difference was found in the other five metabolites in this area. Moreover, no intergroup difference was observed in any metabolite in the DS. The results of Western blot assay revealed that protein expressions of GluN1 (but not GluN2B) subunit o...
Source: Neurobiology of Learning and Memory - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Neurobiol Learn Mem Source Type: research