1
|
Ishiwari K, King CP, Martin CD, Tripi JA, George AM, Lamparelli AC, Chitre AS, Polesskaya O, Richards JB, Solberg Woods LC, Gancarz AM, Palmer AA, Dietz DM, Mitchell SH, Meyer PJ. Environmental enrichment promotes adaptive responding during tests of behavioral regulation in male heterogeneous stock rats. Sci Rep 2024; 14:4182. [PMID: 38378969 PMCID: PMC10879139 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53943-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Organisms must regulate their behavior flexibly in the face of environmental challenges. Failure can lead to a host of maladaptive behavioral traits associated with a range of neuropsychiatric disorders, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, and substance use disorders. This maladaptive dysregulation of behavior is influenced by genetic and environmental factors. For example, environmental enrichment produces beneficial neurobehavioral effects in animal models of such disorders. The present study determined the effects of environmental enrichment on a range of measures related to behavioral regulation using a large cohort of male, outbred heterogeneous stock (HS) rats as subjects. Subjects were reared from late adolescence onwards either in pairs in standard housing with minimal enrichment (n = 200) or in groups of 16 in a highly enriched environment consisting of a large multi-level cage filled with toys, running wheels, and shelters (n = 64). Rats were subjected to a battery of tests, including: (i) locomotor response to novelty, (ii) light reinforcement, (iii) social reinforcement, (iv) reaction time, (v) a patch-depletion foraging test, (vi) Pavlovian conditioned approach, (vii) conditioned reinforcement, and (viii) cocaine conditioned cue preference. Results indicated that rats housed in the enriched environment were able to filter out irrelevant stimuli more effectively and thereby regulate their behavior more efficiently than standard-housing rats. The dramatic impact of environmental enrichment suggests that behavioral studies using standard housing conditions may not generalize to more complex environments that may be more ethologically relevant.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Keita Ishiwari
- Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Christopher P King
- Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Connor D Martin
- Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Jordan A Tripi
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Anthony M George
- Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | | | - Apurva S Chitre
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Oksana Polesskaya
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jerry B Richards
- Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Leah C Solberg Woods
- Department of Internal Medicine, Molecular Medicine, Center on Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Amy M Gancarz
- Department of Psychology, California State University, Bakersfield, CA, USA
| | - Abraham A Palmer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Institute for Genomic Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - David M Dietz
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Suzanne H Mitchell
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
- Oregon Institute for Occupational Health Sciences, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Paul J Meyer
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ishiwari K, King CP, Martin CD, Tripi JA, George AM, Lamparelli AC, Chitre A, Polesskaya O, Richards JB, Woods LCS, Gancarz A, Palmer AA, Dietz DM, Mitchell SH, Meyer PJ. Environmental enrichment promotes adaptive responding during tests of behavioral regulation in male heterogeneous stock rats. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.30.547228. [PMID: 37503161 PMCID: PMC10369912 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.30.547228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Organisms must regulate their behavior flexibly in the face of environmental challenges. Failure can lead to a host of maladaptive behavioral traits associated with a range of neuropsychiatric disorders, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, and substance use disorders. This maladaptive dysregulation of behavior is influenced by genetic and environmental factors. For example, environmental enrichment produces beneficial neurobehavioral effects in animal models of such disorders. The present study determined the effects of environmental enrichment on a range of measures related to behavioral regulation using a large cohort of male, outbred heterogeneous stock (HS) rats as subjects to mimic the genetic variability found in the human population. Subjects were reared from late adolescence onwards either in pairs in standard housing with minimal enrichment (n=200) or in groups of 16 in a highly enriched environment consisting of a large multi-level cage filled with toys, running wheels, and shelters (n=64). Rats were subjected to a battery of tests, including: (i) locomotor response to novelty, (iI) light reinforcement, (iii) social reinforcement, (iv) reaction time, (v) a patch-depletion foraging test, (vi) Pavlovian conditioned approach, (vii) conditioned reinforcement, and (viii) cocaine conditioned cue preference. Results indicated that rats housed in the enriched environment were able to filter out irrelevant stimuli more effectively and thereby regulate their behavior more efficiently than standard-housing rats. The dramatic impact of environmental enrichment suggests that behavioral studies using standard housing conditions may not generalize to more complex environments that may be more ethologically relevant.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Keita Ishiwari
- Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Christopher P. King
- Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Connor D. Martin
- Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Jordan A. Tripi
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Anthony M. George
- Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | | | - Apurva Chitre
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Oksana Polesskaya
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jerry B. Richards
- Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Leah C. Solberg Woods
- Department of Internal Medicine, Molecular Medicine, Center on Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Amy Gancarz
- Department of Psychology, California State University, Bakersfield, Bakersfield, CA, USA
| | - Abraham A. Palmer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Institute for Genomic Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - David M. Dietz
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Suzanne H. Mitchell
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
- Oregon Institute for Occupational Health Sciences, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Paul J. Meyer
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
LeSage MG. Stimulus functions of nicotine. ADVANCES IN PHARMACOLOGY (SAN DIEGO, CALIF.) 2022; 93:133-170. [PMID: 35341565 PMCID: PMC9438898 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apha.2021.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral pharmacology has made vital contributions to the concepts and methods used in tobacco and other drug use research, and is largely responsible for the now generally accepted notion that nicotine is the primary component in tobacco that engenders and maintains tobacco use. One of the most important contributions of behavioral pharmacology to the science of drug use is the notion that drugs can act as environmental stimuli that control behavior in many of the same ways as other stimuli (e.g., visual, gustatory, olfactory). The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of research that illustrates the respondent and operant stimulus functions of nicotine, using a contemporary taxonomy of stimulus functions as a general framework. Each function is formally defined and examples from research on the behavioral pharmacology of nicotine are presented. Some of the factors that modulate each function are also discussed. The role of nicotine's stimulus functions in operant and respondent theories of tobacco use is examined and some suggestions for future research are presented. The chapter illustrates how a taxonomy of stimulus functions can guide conceptions of tobacco use and direct research and theory accordingly.
Collapse
|
4
|
Abstract
John Cacioppo has compared loneliness to hunger or thirst in that it signals that one needs to act and repair what is lacking. This paper reviews Cacioppo's and others' contributions to our understanding of neural mechanisms underlying social motivation in humans and in other social species. We focus particularly on the dopaminergic reward system and try to integrate evidence from animal models and human research. In rodents, objective social isolation leads to increased social motivation, mediated by the brains' mesolimbic dopamine system. In humans, social rejection can lead to either increased or decreased social motivation, and is associated with activity in the insular cortex; while chronic loneliness is typically associated with decreased social motivation but has been associated with altered dopaminergic responses in the striatum. This mixed pattern of cross-species similarities and differences may arise from the substantially different methods used to study unmet social needs across species, and suggests the need for more direct and deliberate cross-species comparative research in this critically important domain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Livia Tomova
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Kay Tye
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Rebecca Saxe
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Schatz KC, Martin CD, Ishiwari K, George AM, Richards JB, Paul MJ. Mutation in the vasopressin gene eliminates the sex difference in social reinforcement in adolescent rats. Physiol Behav 2019; 206:125-133. [PMID: 30951747 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2019.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Revised: 04/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The neuropeptide, arginine vasopressin (AVP), is thought to contribute to sex differences in normative and pathological social development by regulating social motivation. Recent studies using Brattleboro rats that have a mutation in the Avp gene, however, have suggested that AVP impacts adolescent social behaviors of males and females in a similar manner through actions on behavioral state (i.e., arousal). In the present study, we made use of a recently developed operant conditioning paradigm to test whether the chronic, lifelong AVP deficiency caused by the Brattleboro mutation impacts the reinforcement value of social stimuli during adolescence. Operant responding for access to a familiar conspecific was assessed in male and female adolescent wild type (WT; normal AVP), heterozygous Brattleboro (HET), and homozygous Brattleboro (HOM) rats. Following the social reinforcement test, rats were tested in the same operant paradigm except that the social reinforcer was replaced with a light reinforcer to determine whether effects of the Brattleboro mutation were specific to social stimuli or a general characteristic of operant conditioning. WT males directed a greater proportion of their responding toward the social and light stimuli than WT females; only males exhibited a preference for these reinforcers over unreinforced ports. The sex difference in social reinforcement was absent in HOM rats, whereas the sex difference in light reinforcement was present in all genotypes. These data indicate that adolescent males are more sensitive to the reinforcing properties of social and light stimuli, and that the sex difference in social, but not light, reinforcement depends upon normal levels of AVP. These findings support the hypothesis that AVP plays a critical role in sex differences in social development by acting on factors that influence social motivation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- K C Schatz
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA.
| | - C D Martin
- Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA.
| | - K Ishiwari
- Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA.
| | - A M George
- Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA.
| | - J B Richards
- Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA.
| | - M J Paul
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA; Neuroscience Program, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA; Evolution, Ecology and Behavior Program, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA.
| |
Collapse
|