Identification of a common mutation (R245H) in Sanfilippo A patients from The Netherlands

Two groups of male rats were tested to determine whether pre-exposure to d-amphetamine would enhance the motivation to self-administer the drug under a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement. In the first phase of the experiment, one group of rats received d-amphetamine (2 mg/kg IP), while a second group received saline on alternate days for a total of ten injections. Following a 21-day drug withdrawal period, behavioral sensitization was confirmed by a significant increase in amphetamine-induced stereotypy in the d-amphetamine-pretreated group, relative to the saline-pretreated group. In the second phase of the study, all rats were implanted with chronic jugular catheters and trained to self-administer d-amphetamine (0.2 mg/kg per infusion) under a fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement. The progressive ratio paradigm was then imposed for 7 consecutive days; d-amphetamine-pretreated rats attained significantly higher break points than saline-pretreated animals. These data suggest that pre-exposure to d-amphetamine may enhance the motivation to self-administer this drug.     

Midazolam's dose effects on fixed-ratio response rate in rats depend on amount of prior training experience.

To investigate the effects of amount of prior training on the operant response rate-decreasing effects of midazolam, the authors examined 6 oral (PO) doses of this drug (0.3, 1.0, 3.0, 10.0, 17.3, 30.0 mg/kg, 30 min before sessions) in 3 separate groups of rats (Rattus narvegicus). The rats received 29, 85, or 106 daily sessions (low, medium, and high groups, respectively) of fixed-ratio 30 water-reinforced training before the dose-effect determinations. Despite all 3 groups having had similar baseline response rates, the medium- and high-experience groups were significantly more sensitive to the rate-decreasing effects of the 3 highest doses of midazolam. All 3 groups were equally unresponsive (neither increasing nor decreasing response rate) to PO midazolam treatment at the 3 lowest doses. The experience-related sensitization to midazolam's behavior-disrupting effects suggests a role for amount as well as type of behavioral history as a determinant of behavioral drug effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Molecular mechanisms resulting in pathogenic anti-mouse erythrocyte antibodies in New Zealand black mice

A procedure was developed with pigeons to extend the experimental analysis of punished behavior and the effects of anxiolytic drugs. Under this procedure the completion of a fixed-ratio requirement on a changeover key switched between two variable-interval schedules of reinforcement that were programmed on a second response key. Under one schedule, correlated with a green keylight, key pecks produced only food; under the second schedule, correlated with a red keylight, key pecks produced both food and electric shock. Pigeons were switched into the component with shock if they did not enter that component within 5 min. Parameter values of the variable-interval schedules were manipulated systematically and the effects of two clinically active anxiolytic drugs, buspirone and chlordiazepoxide, were examined. Responding was suppressed during the component with shock (punishment) and, under non-drug conditions, pigeons infrequently switched into the punishment component; changeover responses occurred rapidly when switched into the punishment component. Both buspirone (0.1-3.0 mg/kg) and chlordiazepoxide (3.0-30 mg/kg) increased punished responding at doses that had little effect on unpunished responding; d-amphetamine (0.3-5.6 mg/kg), which was studied only under one parameter of the variable-interval schedule, produced greater decreases in rates of punished responding than in unpunished responding.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Relaxation measured by EMG as a function of vibrotactile stimulation

Key pecking of two pigeons was maintained under a multiple schedule of food presentation. In the presence of one keylight stimulus responding produced food according to a fixed-interval 5-min schedule. Additionally, during this component, each 50th response produced electric shock. When a different keylight stimulus was present, key pecking resulted in food delivery under a variable-interval 3-min schedule. Responding was suppressed by shock presentation (punishment) but was still positively accelerated throughout each fixed-interval cycle; steady response rates occurred during the alternate component when only the variable-interval schedule was in effect. Overall rates of punished responding were largely unchanged with d-amphetamine (0.1-3.0 mg/kg); unpunished responding was generally either increased slightly or was decreased. Pentobarbital and chlordiazepoxide (1.0-17.0 mg/kg) administered alone increased both punished and unpunished responding at most doses. Combinations of d-amphetamine with either pentobarbital or chlordiazepoxide produced increases in punished responding that exceeded those obtained with either of these drugs alone. The combined effects of d-amphetamine and either pentobarbital or chlordiazepoxide on unpunished responding depended on the individual dose combinations. Combinations of d-amphetamine with pentobarbital or chlordiazepoxide produced effects on both punished and unpunished responding that differed substantially from those obtained when any of these drugs were administered separately.     

Effects of d-amphetamine on responding of squirrel monkeys maintained under second-order schedules of food presentation, electric shock presentation or stimulus-shock termination

The effects of d-amphetamine (0.01-5.6 mg/kg i.m.) were studied on lever pressing of squirrel monkeys maintained under various second-order schedules by a visual stimulus (S) that, with separate monkeys, was occasionally paired with the presentation of either food, electric shock or with the termination of a stimulus in the presence of which shocks occurred. Under one condition, the first response after 5 min produced a 3-sec stimulus change and the fourth stimulus change was followed immediately by food delivery, electric shock presentation or by the termination of a stimulus in the presence of which shocks occurred [fixed-ratio (FR); fixed-interval (FI) [FR 4 (FI 5-min:S)]. The effects of d-amphetamine were also studied under the food- and shock-presentation schedules when food or shock occurred only once, at the end of each session, after completion of 53n 3-min fixed-intervals all of which ended with a brief stimulus change [FR 10 (FI 3-min : S)]. Under a third condition, each thirtieth response produced the 3-sec brief stimulus (FR 30 : S) and the first FR 30 completed after 5 min elapsed produced the stimulus followed by food or, with separate monkeys, electric shock [FI 5-min (FR 30:S)]. Low to intermediate doses of d-amphetamine (0.03-0.3 mg/kg) generally increased and higher doses (0.56-5.6 mg/kg) decreased responding under all conditions. The effects of d-amphetamine on responding maintained by brief stimuli under different types of second-order schedules are generally similar, regardless of the type of reinforcing event or particular second-order schedule.     

The reinforcing effects of ethanol are altered by the endogenous neurosteroid, allopregnanolone

We examined the effect of systemic administration of the endogenously occurring progesterone metabolite, allopregnanolone, on oral self-administration of ethanol by male rats. Rats were trained to perform an operant response for presentation of 0.1 ml of a solution of 10% ethanol in water using the sucrose fading technique. After acquisition of stable lever-press responding on a fixed-ratio 4 schedule, subjects received subcutaneous injections of 1, 3, or 10 mg/kg of allopregnanolone, or vehicle, 20 min prior to the self-administration session. Pretreatment with 3 mg/kg, but not 1 or 10 mg/kg, increased the mean total number of lever press responses made to obtain ethanol, and therefore increased the mean total number of ethanol presentations. The number of responses and response rate were examined as a function of the number of "runs" within the 30-min session; a "run" was defined as a series of consecutive responses with an interresponse interval of <1 min. The increase in total responses after 3 mg/kg was due in part to an increased number of responses for the first run of the session, with no effect on response rates. However, the higher dose of 10 mg/kg decreased response rates within the first run. Thus, allopregnanolone alters ethanol-reinforced responding at concentrations lower than those that depress rates of responding. The effects of administration of the benzodiazepene, diazepam, were determined for comparison with those of the neurosteroid. The subcutaneous injection of 0.3, 1.0, or 3.0 mg/kg of diazepam did not produce any clear dose-dependent changes in measures of ethanol-reinforced operant responding, supporting the suggestion of differences in the contribution of the benzodiazepene and neurosteroid binding sites to GABA(A) receptor function. The results indicate that exogenous administration of allopregnanolone dose-dependently alters ethanol-reinforced operant responding, and suggest that this endogenously occurring neurosteroid could mediate some of the reinforcing effects of ethanol.     

Alterations in the reinforcing efficacy of cocaine in adult rats following prenatal exposure to cocaine.

Adult male rats gestationally exposed to cocaine and nonexposed control offspring were examined for differences in operant responding for cocaine and sucrose reinforcement. Offspring were derived from dams that had received subcutaneous injections of 40 mg/kg/3cc cocaine hydrochloride daily on gestational Days 8–20 and nontreated control dams. Although no prenatal treatment differences were seen when the animals lever pressed for sucrose pellets on a progressive-ratio (PR) schedule, adult offspring prenatally exposed to cocaine were observed to exhibit an enhanced rate of cocaine intravenous self-administration on a fixed-ratio 5 (FR-5) schedule along with a marked decrease in break point on the PR reinforcement schedule. These results suggest that the reinforcing efficacy of cocaine may be reduced in animals with a prenatal history of cocaine exposure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Role of experience in acquisition and loss of tolerance to the effect of delta-9-THC on spaced responding

Albino rats were given extensive training in spaced responding, using a DRL 30 sec schedule of food reinforcement (only lever presses more than 30 sec apart were reinforced). All rats then went 12 days without behavioral testing. During this period half the rats received daily intragastric doses of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and the rest equal volumes of the THC vehicle. On day 13, some rats received THC 3 hr before behavioral testing while others received only vehicle. The former showed a sharp increase in lever press rate over baseline levels, but the vehicle control rats were unaffected. The rats with 12 prior THC doses were no less affected than those with no previous drug history. Continued testing resulted in recovery of baseline performance within 5 sessions, again with no effect of previous drug history. Similar results were obtained with doses of 4 mg/kg and 16 mg/kg, though the drug's effects were more pronounced at the higher dose. These results demonstrate that performance in the drug state can be a far more important determinant of tolerance than mere exposure to THC. Drug administration was then suspended for 1 week. Rats that had become tolerant to 4 mg/kg THC were then redivided into 3 new groups. One group received daily doses of vehicle and DRL sessions, a second received DRL sessions without vehicle, and 1 group received neither vehicle nor DRL sessions for this week. Subsequent DRL testing after THC administration showed that only the groups receiving DRL sessions in the intervening week lost their previously acquired tolerance. Experience thus appears to play an important role in loss of tolerance to THC as well as in acquisition of tolerance.     

Nitrogen narcosis and rat behavior on fixed ratio and differential-reinforcement-of-low-rate schedules.

Investigated changes in response rate of 8 male Fisher rats to increases in air pressure. 2 groups were exposed for 30 min to 0, 90, 135, and 180 psig via a counterbalanced Latin square design. 1 group was stabilized on a fixed-ratio (FR) 30-sec schedule while the other was stabilized on a differential-reinforcement-of-low-rate (DRL) 15-sec schedule. As pressure was increased: (a) DRL 15-sec response rate increased while FR 30-sec remained unchanged; and (b) time spent responding was less for both groups, with FR 30-sec showing the greater reduction. Behavior changes during the 1st 15 min were attributed to environmental changes accompanying pressurization and increased pressure of nitrogen; changes during the 2nd 15 min were attributed primarily to increased pressure of nitrogen. (20 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

RNA virus in Allomyces arbuscula: ultrastructural localization during the life-cycle

Three experiments were concerned with tolerance to anorexia induced by d-amphetamine. In experiment 1, one group of rats on a 2 hr food deprivation schedule received 2 mg/kg of d-amphetamine 15 min before eating every other day for a month. A second group of rats on a similar schedule received the same dose of d-amphetamine immediately after eating. When compared to a saline-treated control group, the former group showed significant decreases in weight and food intake; tolerance to the amphetamine-induced anorexia began to occur toward the end of the experiment. The latter group showed a significant decrease in food intake on the non-drug days and an overall weight loss when compared to the control group. Experiment 2 demonstrated that tolerance to d-amphetamine-anorexia was related to the duration of drug administration per se. Experiment 3 showed that taste can be a factor in influencing the rate of tolerance to d-amphetamine-induced anorexia. These results indicate that both pharmacological and experiential factors play an important role in determining the rate of tolerance to this action of d-amphetamine.     

Food-deprivation level alters the effects of morphine on pigeons' key pecking

Four pigeons pecked response keys under a multiple fixed-ratio 30 fixed-interval 5-min schedule of food presentation. Components alternated separated by 15-s timeouts; each was presented six times. Pigeons were maintained at 70%, 85%, and greater than 90% of their free-feeding weights across experimental conditions. When response rates were stable, the effects of morphine (0.56 to 10.0 mg/kg) and saline were investigated. Morphine reduced response rates in a dose-dependent manner under the fixed-ratio schedule and at high doses under the fixed-interval schedule. In some cases, low doses of morphine increased rates under the fixed-interval schedule. When pigeons were less food deprived, reductions in pecking rates occurred at lower doses under both schedules for 3 of 4 birds compared to when they were more food deprived. When pigeons were more food deprived, low doses of morphine increased rates of pecking in the initial portions of fixed intervals by a greater magnitude. Thus, food-deprivation levels altered both the rate-decreasing and rate-increasing effects of morphine. These effects may share a common mechanism with increased locomotor activity produced by drugs and with increased drug self-administration under conditions of more severe food deprivation.     

Effects of d-amphetamine, pentobarbital, chlorpromazine and promazine on electric shock postponement responding by the pigeon

The effects of d-amphetamine, pentobarbital, chlorpromazine and promazine on responding under schedules of electric shock postponement were studied in pigeons. Responding was maintained by three different response-shock intervals (10, 20 and 60 seconds). Low doses (0.3-3 mg/kg) of d-amphetamine increased response rates without decreasing shock rates under all three response-shock intervals. The highest dose (10 mg/kg) of d-amphetamine increased the shock rates under all response-shock intervals and decreased the high response rate under the 10-second response-shock interval but did not decrease the lower rates of responding under the 20- and 60-second response-shock intervals. Pentobarbital decreased the high rate of responding maintained under the 10-second response-shock interval at lower dose (10 mg/kg) than the lower rates of under the 20- and 60-second response-shock intervals. The high dose (17.5 mg/kg) of pentobarbital decreased responding and the low doses (1-3 mg/kg) had no effect under all three response-shock intervals. Chlorpromazine (3-100 mg/kg) did not affect the average rate of responding under all response-shock intervals and only slightly increased shock rates under the 20- and 60-second response-shock intervals. Promazine (3-30 mg/kg) increased the rates of responding and decreased shock rates under all three response-shock intervals. Analysis of the temporal patterns of responding within the response-shock interval showed that d-amphetamine tended to induce the animals to respond earlier than they normally would in the response-shock interval while otherwise maintaining the temporal pattern of responding, pentobarbital decreased the probability of responses late in the response-shock interval, and chlorpromazine and promazine increased the probability of responses in the middle of the response-shock interval, producing a lessening of the temporal patterning of responding within the response-shock interval.     

Effects of d-amphetamine and cocaine on strained ratio behavior in a repeated-acquisition task

Pigeons acquired a different four-response chain each session by responding sequentially on three keys in the presence of four colors. When the fixed-ratio requirement for food presentation was five completions of the chain, d-amphetamine and cocaine disrupted the behavior. As the dose of each drug was increased, the overall response rate decreased, the overall accuracy was impaired (i,e., percent errors increased), and there was less within-session error reduction (acquisition). In contrast, when the fixed-ratio requirement was either 20 or 50 completions of the chain, certain doses of both drugs produced large increases in the overall response rate by eliminating the extended pausing (ratio strain) that was characteristic of the control sessions. These rate-increasing effects were accompanied by error-decreasing effects, both during acquisition and after the response chain had been acquired. Taken together, the results show that the effects of d-amphetamine and cocaine on behavior in a repeated-acquisition task can be modulated by manipulating the value of the fixed-ratio schedule maintaining the behavior.     

Punished behavior: increases in responding after d-amphetamine

Responding maintained in squirrel monkeys under a 10-min fixed-interval schedule of food presentation was suppressed by presenting a shock after every 30th response (punishment). During alternate 10-min periods of the same experimental session, but in the presence of a different discriminative stimulus, responding either had no effect (extinction) or postponed delivery of an electric shock (avoidance). During sessions when the avoidance schedule was not in effect, d-amphetamine sulfate decreased punished responding. When the avoidance schedule was present during alternate 10-min periods, however, d-amphetamine (0.01 minus 0.56 mg/kg, i.m.) markedly increased responding during punishment components. Increases in responding during avoidance components were also evident. The effects of d-amphetamine on punished responding depend on the context in which that responding occurs.     

Fluvoxamine effects on concurrent ethanol- and food-maintained behaviors.

In previous studies, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluvoxamine preferentially reduced responding for ethanol compared with responding for food under conditions in which each was available alone in separate groups or in the same subjects under a multiple schedule in which baseline response rates were matched. The impact of providing concurrent access to food on pharmacological effects on ethanol self-administration remains largely unexplored. In this study, acute doses of fluvoxamine (3.0-17.8 mg/kg) were administered 30 min before the experimental session to Lewis rats responding under a concurrent fixed-ratio, fixed-ratio schedule of ethanol and food presentation. Ratios for food were adjusted for each subject to provide matched rates of food and ethanol reinforcement across the 30-min session. Although the number of ethanol and food deliveries did not significantly differ under baseline conditions, response rates did differ. Following fluvoxamine administration, responding for food was decreased more than responding for ethanol. This differential effect did not appear to be related to response rate or fixed-ratio size. Thus, the selectivity of fluvoxamine on ethanol- versus food-maintained responding depends on the context in which the behavior occurs. Such results may help explain inconsistencies between preclinical results and those in humans, and could provide insight into the behavioral determinants of pharmacological effects on ethanol self-administration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus lesions on responding for intravenous heroin under different schedules of reinforcement

The pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTg) is believed to play important roles in reward and learning. We examined the effect of PPTg lesions (0.5 microl of 0.1 M NMDA injected bilaterally over 10 min) on the learning of an operant response for opiate reward. In 14 adult male Long-Evans rats, bilateral lesions of the PPTg disrupted the acquisition of responding for intravenous heroin (0.1 mg/kg infused at a rate of 0.25 ml/28 sec) on a fixed ratio-1 (FR-1) schedule of reinforcement. The 12 remaining lesioned animals increased their heroin intake over the acquisition sessions but did not reach the response levels of sham-lesioned animals on the 15th and final session. The sham- and PPTg-lesioned animals that learned the FR-1 task exhibited similar patterns of responding during extinction and reacquisition sessions. When tested on a progressive ratio (PR) schedule of reinforcement, however, PPTg-lesioned animals had lower break points than sham-lesioned animals. Asymmetric lesions, which destroyed the majority of the nucleus in one hemisphere only, did not produce any behavioral deficits. Rats that were lesioned after training also did not show deficits in responding under either FR or PR schedules. These findings suggest that PPTg lesions reduce the rewarding effect of opiates but do not disrupt the ability either to learn an operant response or the response requirements of a PR schedule.     

Developmental analysis of behavioral dysfunction in rats with septal lesions.

At 7 days of age, 48 male Long-Evans hooded rats received lesions of the septal nuclei or control operations. Ss then received 30 hrs of training on a DRL 20-sec schedule for 1 hr/day beginning at either 27 or 96 days of age. At 126 days of age, all Ss received 10 additional training sessions. After operant testing, all Ss received 10 additional training sessions. After operant testing, all Ss were tested on spontaneous alternation, spatial reversal, and passive avoidance. Results indicate that on a DRL 20-sec schedule Ss that received lesions of the septum neonatally and were tested at different ages performed in a similar manner. Approximately 50% of the Ss with lesions of the septal nuclei reached efficiency levels comparable with those of normal controls. When tested for retention, these efficient Ss still performed similarly to normal Ss. Ss with septal lesions were facilitated in the acquisition of a spatial habit, were deficient in spatial habit reversal, were less likely to demonstrate spontaneous alternation, and were deficient in passive avoidance. It is concluded that neonatal lesions of the septal nuclei produce permanent behavioral impairments on a diversity of measures and that, although juvenile animals with limbic system damage often manifest behaviors different from adult Ss, the difference is not evident during operant testing (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Yoked delivery of cocaine is aversive and protects against the motivation for drug in rats.

In Experiment 1, water-deprived rats had 5-min access to saccharin followed by active or yoked intravenous delivery of saline or cocaine (0.33 mg/infusion). Both cocaine groups avoided intake of the saccharin cue following saccharin–cocaine pairings; however, the rats in the yoked condition exhibited greater avoidance of the taste cue than did the actively administering rats. Experiment 2 evaluated subsequent self-administration behavior on fixed- and progressive-ratio schedules of reinforcement. The results showed that prior yoked exposure to cocaine reduced subsequent drug-taking behavior on a progressive-ratio but not on a fixed-ratio schedule. Finally, Experiment 3 used a choice test to determine the impact of yoked drug delivery on the relative preference for cocaine versus water. The results showed that rats with a history of self-administering cocaine preferred to perform operant behaviors on the side of the chamber previously paired with cocaine, whereas the rats with a history of yoked delivery of cocaine avoided this side. These data show that, in most rats, the unpredictable, uncontrollable delivery of cocaine protects against the subsequent motivation for cocaine through an aversive mechanism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Response-independent events in the behavior stream

The metaphor of the behavior stream provides a framework for studying the effects of response-independent food presentations intruded into an environment in which operant responding of pigeons was maintained by variable-interval schedules. In the first two experiments, response rates were reduced when response-independent food was intruded during the variable-interval schedule according to a concomitantly present fixed-time schedule. These reductions were not always an orderly function of the percentage of response-dependent food. Negatively accelerated patterns of key pecking across the fixed-time period occurred in Experiment 1 under the concomitant fixed-time variable-interval schedules. In Experiment 2, positively and negatively accelerated and linear response patterns occurred even though the schedules were similar to those used in Experiment 1. The variable findings in the first two experiments led to three subsequent experiments that were designed to further illuminate the controlling variables of the effects of intruded response-independent events. When the fixed and variable schedules were correlated with distinct operanda by employing a concurrent fixed-interval variable-interval schedule (Experiment 3) or with distinct discriminative stimuli (Experiments 4 and 5), negatively accelerated response patterns were obtained. Even in these latter cases, however, the response patterns were a joint function of the physical separation of the two schedules and the ratio of fixed-time or fixed-interval to variable-interval schedule food presentations. The results of the five experiments are discussed in terms of the contributions of both reinforcement variables and discriminative stimuli in determining the effects of intruding response-independent food into a stream of operant behavior.     

Effects of estrogen and progesterone on the escalation of cocaine self-administration in female rats during extended access.

Estrogen increases and progesterone decreases the acquisition and reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior in female rats. Here estrogen and progesterone were studied for their effects on the escalation of cocaine self-administration in female rats. The rats received ovariectomy (OVX) or sham (SH) surgery and were treated with estradiol benzoate (0.05 mg/kg sc) and/or progesterone (0.5 mg/kg) or vehicle (indicated by E, P, and V), resulting in 5 groups: SH+V, SH+P, OVX+V, OVX+E, OVX+E+P. Rats self-administered intravenous cocaine (0.4 mg/kg) under a fixed ratio 1 (FR 1) schedule during 2-hr sessions and were then given 6-hr sessions (long access; LgA) (FR 1) for 21 days. After LgA, self-administration was reassessed with 2-hr sessions under the FR 1 and a progressive ratio schedule with 4 cocaine doses. There were no differences among the 5 groups in cocaine self-administration during initial 2-hr sessions. During LgA, the SH+V, OVX+E, and OVX+V groups escalated their cocaine self-administration, whereas the OVX+E+P and SH+P groups did not. Estradiol increased escalation in the OVX+E group compared with the OVX+V group, and progesterone (SH+P) reduced escalation compared with the SH+V group. When estrogen and progesterone were both administered in OVX rats (OVX+E+P), escalation was significantly lower than in the OVX+E group. Cocaine infusions during the 2-hr sessions were significantly higher after escalation than before in all groups except the progesterone-treated groups (SH+P and OVX+E+P). Estrogen promoted and progesterone inhibited escalation of cocaine self-administration, illustrating the importance of female gonadal hormones in drug-seeking behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)