Ultra-low doses of the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 agonist, resiniferatoxin, prevents vomiting evoked by diverse emetogens in the least shrew (Cryptotis parva)
This study is the first to demonstrate that low nanomolar nonemetic doses of RTX have the capacity to completely abolish vomiting caused by diverse receptor specific emetogens in the least shrew model of emesis. (Source: Behavioural Pharmacology)
Source: Behavioural Pharmacology - January 10, 2020 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Tags: Research Reports Source Type: research
Announcement: Change of Editor
No abstract available (Source: Behavioural Pharmacology)
Source: Behavioural Pharmacology - January 10, 2020 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Tags: Announcement Source Type: research
Effects of progesterone treatment during adulthood on consummatory and motivational aspects of sexual behavior in male rats
In males of a variety of species, administration of progesterone during adulthood has been shown to decrease the expression of consummatory sexual behaviors and androgen receptors. However, it remains to be determined if the progesterone-induced decrease in androgen-receptor signaling and consummatory sexual behaviors correspond with less of a preference for a sexually receptive female relative to another male, a behavioral phenotype indicative of sexual motivation. Consistent with the effects of progesterone reported in males of other species, progesterone-treated rats, relative to vehicle-treated rats, exhibited fewer in...
Source: Behavioural Pharmacology - September 14, 2019 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Tags: Short Report Source Type: research
Differential effects of d-amphetamine and atomoxetine on risk-based decision making of Lewis and Fischer 344 rats
In this study, we evaluated dose-dependent effects of d-amphetamine and atomoxetine on probabilistic discounting of Lewis and F344. Male Lewis and F344 chose between one food pellet delivered 100% of the time and three food pellets delivered following decreasing probabilities of delivery (i.e. 100%, 66.7%, 33.3%, 16.5%, and 8.25%). Saline, d-amphetamine (0.1–1.8 mg/kg), and atomoxetine (0.1–7.8 mg/kg) were tested acutely. Lewis and F344 did not differ in choice at baseline. d-Amphetamine increased risky choice for both rat strains at low-to-moderate doses, although it did so at a lower dose (0.1 and 0.3 mg/kg) for F344...
Source: Behavioural Pharmacology - September 14, 2019 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Tags: Research Reports Source Type: research
The effects of Engelhardtia chrysolepis Hance on long-term memory and potential dopamine involvement in mice
In this study, we investigated the effects of ECH and ASB on long-term memory in mice using a battery of behavioral tests. Acute ECH treatments dose-dependently facilitated nonspatial, but not spatial, memory. ECH treatments also upregulated expression of tyrosine hydroxylase, the enzyme mediating catecholamine synthesis, in neuroblastoma cell culture. Acute ASB treatments similarly improved nonspatial memory, whereas chronic ASB treatments improved both nonspatial and spatial memory. In accordance with such behavioral effects, the increased ratio of tissue concentrations of dopamine metabolites over dopamine in striatal r...
Source: Behavioural Pharmacology - September 14, 2019 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Tags: Research Reports Source Type: research
Effect of amphetamine dose on wheel-running functioning as reinforcement or operant behavior on a multiple schedule of reinforcement
This study addressed this question using a multiple schedule of reinforcement in which wheel running served as reinforcement for lever pressing in one component and as operant behavior for sucrose reinforcement in the other component. Seven female Long–Evans rats were exposed to a multiple schedule in which pressing a lever on a variable ratio 10 schedule produced the opportunity to run for 15 revolutions in one component and running 15 revolutions produced a drop of 15% sucrose solution in the other component. Doses of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg/kg D-amphetamine were administered by intraperitoneal injection 20 min prior to a...
Source: Behavioural Pharmacology - September 14, 2019 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Tags: Research Reports Source Type: research
PT-31, a putative α2-adrenoceptor agonist, is effective in schizophrenia cognitive symptoms in mice
In conclusion, PT-31 displayed a preclinical pharmacology predictive of neuroprotective effects and efficacy in relieving schizophrenia symptoms, without inducing motor side effects, suggesting that it could represent a molecular scaffold for antipsychotic drug development. (Source: Behavioural Pharmacology)
Source: Behavioural Pharmacology - September 14, 2019 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Tags: Research Reports Source Type: research
Locomotor sensitization in male Sprague-Dawley rats following repeated concurrent treatment with 4-methylmethcathinone and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine
Recreational abuse of illicit synthetic cathinones is an ongoing public health concern. Recent studies indicate that the methcathinone derivative 4-methylmethcathinone (4-MMC) produces behavioral and neurochemical effects similar to the entactogen 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Whereas polysubstance abuse is common, most preclinical studies of drug abuse liability only evaluate the effects of single drugs. Utilizing the locomotor sensitization paradigm, the present study assessed the combined locomotor stimulant effects of 4-MMC and MDMA for induction of sensitization following repeated administration and for ex...
Source: Behavioural Pharmacology - September 14, 2019 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Tags: Research Reports Source Type: research
Repeated administration of synthetic cathinone 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone persistently increases impulsive choice in rats
This study examined if MDPV administration alters impulsive choice measured by delay discounting in rats. Three groups of rats were tested in daily delay discounting sessions to determine the effects of acute cocaine (1.0–30.0 mg/kg), MDPV (0.1–3.0 mg/kg), or saline on mean adjusted delay (MAD). Dose-dependent decreases in MAD were elicited only by acute MDPV, which also suppressed operant responding at the highest dose. Next, rats received post-session injections (30.0 mg/kg cocaine, 3.0 mg/kg MDPV, or saline) every other day for a total of 10 injections. MAD increased during saline treatment, did not change during co...
Source: Behavioural Pharmacology - September 14, 2019 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Tags: Research Reports Source Type: research
A single administration of Neurotropin reduced the elongated immobility time in the forced swimming test of rats exposed to repeated cold stress
Many people suffer from a major depressive disorder, and chronic pain conditions are often associated with depressive symptoms. Neurotropin, an extract from the inflamed skin of rabbits inoculated with vaccinia virus, has been used for pain relief. Decrease of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the brain is one of the proposed mechanisms for the major depressive disorders, and Neurotropin has been reported to restore the decreased BDNF in the hippocampus. In this experiment, we examined whether Neurotropin had an antidepressant-like effect in a model of fibromyalgia and whether BDNF in the brain was altered after ...
Source: Behavioural Pharmacology - September 14, 2019 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Tags: Research Reports Source Type: research
Sex and housing conditions modify the effects of adolescent caffeine exposure on anxiety-like and depressive-like behavior in the rat
Previously observed antidepressant-like effects of caffeine in adolescent rats have been shown in individually housed (IH) rats. Because IH presents a social stressor that may create depressant-like effects in control animals, this study sought to compare the effects of chronic caffeine in IH and pair-housed (PH) adolescent male and female rats. Housing conditions began on postnatal day 24 (P24) and half of the rats were provided caffeine (0.25 g/l) in their drinking water beginning on P28. Open-field behavior was assessed on P42, a light/dark test was conducted on P43, and a forced swim test was conducted on P44–P45. PH...
Source: Behavioural Pharmacology - September 14, 2019 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Tags: Research Reports Source Type: research
Neuropathic insult increases the responsiveness to acetic acid in mice
Chronic neuropathic pain is a burden to millions of patients every day. Patients with neuropathic pain will also experience acute pain throughout their everyday lives adding to their nociceptive burden. Using nociceptive models in mice this study aimed to investigate the relationship between acute visceral pain and chronic neuropathic pain in spontaneous and affective behaviors. Neuropathic pain was induced by chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve of C57BL/6J male mice and examined in assays of acetic acid (AA)-induced stretching or conditioned place aversion to assess nociceptive and aversive behaviors. S...
Source: Behavioural Pharmacology - August 6, 2019 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Tags: Short Reports Source Type: research
Clonidine, an α2 adrenergic receptor agonist, disrupts reconsolidation of a cocaine-paired environmental memory
Environmental cues can elicit robust cocaine reward memories, contributing to relapse to cocaine abuse. Memories can be manipulated pharmacologically by interfering with reconsolidation after reactivation. Clonidine, an α2 noradrenergic receptor agonist, was tested for its ability to block reconsolidation of cocaine environmental-paired memory. Male Sprague-Dawley rats completed an 8-day cocaine place conditioning procedure to establish a cocaine place preference. Cocaine memory was reactivated by exposure to the cocaine-paired environment in a drug-free state, followed immediately by administration of clonidine (10 or 50...
Source: Behavioural Pharmacology - August 6, 2019 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Tags: Short Reports Source Type: research
Discriminative stimulus properties of the typical antipsychotic haloperidol compared to other antipsychotic drugs in C57BL/6 mice
This study used a drug discrimination assay to allow a direct comparison between the subjective effects of HAL and other APDs. Eleven C57BL/6 mice were trained to discriminate 0.05 mg/kg HAL from the vehicle in a two-lever drug discrimination task. The HAL generalization curve (0.001563–0.2 mg/kg) yielded an ED50=0.0024 mg/kg (95% confidence interval: 0.0012–0.0048 mg/kg). The typical APD chlorpromazine produced full substitution at 4.0 mg/kg with 82.7% drug-lever responding (%DLR) with significant rate suppression and partial substitution (73.9% DLR) at 1.0 mg/kg with no rate suppression. The atypical APD clozapine pr...
Source: Behavioural Pharmacology - August 6, 2019 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Tags: Research Reports Source Type: research
Functional lateralization in the prefrontal cortex of dopaminergic modulation of memory consolidation
There is increasing evidence of functional lateralization within the rat brain. Here, we have examined the lateralization of dopamine (DA) function in the medial prefrontal cortex (PFC) in relation to memory consolidation in the novel object recognition test (NOR). Male Wistar rats received single bilateral or unilateral injections into prelimbic-PFC of agonists (SKF81297; 0.2 µg, quinpirole; 1 µg, SB277,011; 0.5 µg) and antagonists (SCH23390; 3 µg, L-741,626; 1 µg, 7-OH-DPAT; 3 µg) at DA D1, D2, or D3 receptors, immediately following the exposure trial in the NOR, and were tested either 1 or 24 h later for discrimin...
Source: Behavioural Pharmacology - August 6, 2019 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Tags: Research Reports Source Type: research
