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Gorkiewicz T, Danielewski K, Andraka K, Kondrakiewicz K, Meyza K, Kaminski J, Knapska E. Social buffering diminishes fear response but does not equal improved fear extinction. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:5007-5024. [PMID: 36218820 PMCID: PMC10110450 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Social support during exposure-based psychotherapy is believed to diminish fear and improve therapy outcomes. However, some clinical trials challenge that notion. Underlying mechanisms remain unknown, hindering the understanding of benefits and pitfalls of such approach. To study social buffering during fear extinction, we developed a behavioral model in which partner's presence decreases response to fear-associated stimuli. To identify the neuronal background of this phenomenon, we combined behavioral testing with c-Fos mapping, optogenetics, and chemogenetics. We found that the presence of a partner during fear extinction training causes robust inhibition of freezing; the effect, however, disappears in subjects tested individually on the following day. It is accompanied by lowered activation of the prelimbic (PL) and anterior cingulate (ACC) but not infralimbic (IL) cortex. Accordingly, blocking of IL activity left social buffering intact. Similarly, inhibition of the ventral hippocampus-PL pathway, suppressing fear response after prolonged extinction training, did not diminish the effect. In contrast, inhibition of the ACC-central amygdala pathway, modulating social behavior, blocked social buffering. By reporting that social modulation of fear inhibition is transient and insensitive to manipulation of the fear extinction-related circuits, we show that the mechanisms underlying social buffering during extinction are different from those of individual extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Gorkiewicz
- Neurobiology of Emotions Laboratory, Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders - BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Konrad Danielewski
- Neurobiology of Emotions Laboratory, Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders - BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Karolina Andraka
- Neurobiology of Emotions Laboratory, Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders - BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Kacper Kondrakiewicz
- Neurobiology of Emotions Laboratory, Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders - BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.,NeuroElectronics Research Flanders, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ksenia Meyza
- Neurobiology of Emotions Laboratory, Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders - BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jan Kaminski
- Neurophysiology of Mind Laboratory, Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders - BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Ewelina Knapska
- Neurobiology of Emotions Laboratory, Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders - BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
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Tryon SC, Sakamoto IM, Kellis DM, Kaigler KF, Wilson MA. Individual Differences in Conditioned Fear and Extinction in Female Rats. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:740313. [PMID: 34489657 PMCID: PMC8418198 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.740313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The inability to extinguish a traumatic memory is a key aspect of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While PTSD affects 10–20% of individuals who experience a trauma, women are particularly susceptible to developing the disorder. Despite this notable female vulnerability, few studies have investigated this particular resistance to fear extinction observed in females. Similar to humans, rodent models of Pavlovian fear learning and extinction show a wide range of individual differences in fear learning and extinction, although female rodents are considerably understudied. Therefore, the present study examined individual differences in fear responses, including freezing behavior and ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), of female Long–Evans rats during acquisition of fear conditioning and cued fear extinction. Similar to prior studies in males, female rats displayed individual variation in freezing during cued fear extinction and were divided into extinction competent (EC) and extinction resistant (ER) phenotypes. Differences in freezing between ER and EC females were accompanied by shifts in rearing during extinction, but no darting was seen in any trial. Freezing behavior during fear learning did not differ between the EC and ER females. Vocalizations emitted in the 22 and 50 kHz ranges during fear learning and extinction were also examined. Unlike vocalizations seen in previous studies in males, very few 22 kHz distress vocalizations were emitted by female rats during fear acquisition and extinction, with no difference between ER and EC groups. Interestingly, all female rats produced significant levels of 50 kHz USVs, and EC females emitted significantly more 50 kHz USVs than ER rats. This difference in 50 kHz USVs was most apparent during initial exposure to the testing environment. These results suggest that like males, female rodents show individual differences in both freezing and USVs during fear extinction, although females appear to vocalize more in the 50 kHz range, especially during initial periods of exposure to the testing environment, and emit very few of the 22 kHz distress calls that are typically observed in males during fear learning or extinction paradigms. Overall, these findings show that female rodents display fear behavior repertoires divergent from males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah C Tryon
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, United States
| | - Iris M Sakamoto
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, United States
| | - Devin M Kellis
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, United States
| | - Kris F Kaigler
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, United States
| | - Marlene A Wilson
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, United States.,Columbia VA Health Care System, Columbia, SC, United States
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Karwicka W, Wiatrowska M, Kondrakiewicz K, Knapska E, Kursa MB, Hamed A. Relaying Aversive Ultrasonic Alarm Calls Depends on Previous Experience. Empathy, Social Buffering, or Panic? Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11060759. [PMID: 34201037 PMCID: PMC8227955 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11060759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Ultrasonic vocalizations are among the oldest evolutionarily forms of animal communication. In order to study the communication patterns in an aversive social situation, we used a behavioral model in which one animal, the observer, is witnessing as his cagemate, the demonstrator, is experiencing a series of mild electrical foot shocks. We studied the effect of the foot shock experience on the observer and the influence of a warning sound (emitted shortly before the shock) on USV communication. These experiments revealed that such a warning seems to increase the arousal level, which differentiates the responses depending on previous experience. This can be identified by the emission of characteristic, short 22 kHz calls of a duration below 100 ms. Two rats emitted calls that overlapped in time. Analysis of these overlaps revealed that in ‘warned’ pairs with a naive observer, 22 kHz calls were mixed with 50 kHz calls. This fact, combined with a high fraction of very high-pitched 50 kHz calls (over 75 kHz), suggests the presence of the phenomenon of social buffering. Pure 22 kHz overlaps were mostly found in ‘warned’ pairs with an experienced observer, suggesting a possible fear contagion with distress sharing. The results show the importance of dividing 22 kHz calls into long and short categories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wiktoria Karwicka
- Laboratory of Spatial Memory, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Marta Wiatrowska
- Laboratory of Emotions Neurobiology, BRAINCITY—Centre of Excellence for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland; (M.W.); (K.K.); (E.K.)
| | - Kacper Kondrakiewicz
- Laboratory of Emotions Neurobiology, BRAINCITY—Centre of Excellence for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland; (M.W.); (K.K.); (E.K.)
| | - Ewelina Knapska
- Laboratory of Emotions Neurobiology, BRAINCITY—Centre of Excellence for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland; (M.W.); (K.K.); (E.K.)
| | - Miron Bartosz Kursa
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Mathematical and Computational Modelling, University of Warsaw, Pawinskiego 5A, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Adam Hamed
- Laboratory of Spatial Memory, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland;
- Correspondence:
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Hamed A, Kursa MB. Social deprivation substantially changes multi-structural neurotransmitter signature of social interaction: Glutamate concentration in amygdala and VTA as a key factor in social encounter-induced 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalization. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2020; 37:82-99. [PMID: 32651127 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2020.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2020] [Revised: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Ultrasonic vocalizations are important for coordinating social behavior in rats. Examination of the neurochemical mechanisms that govern social behavior and ultrasonic vocalization emission is crucial for understanding the social impairments that occur in many neuropsychiatric disorders. To elucidate neurochemical changes in the brain structures related to social behavior and their mutual relationships, we conducted three-phase experiment. Neurochemicals were measured in the following behavioral situations: without social encounter, with short social encounter, with long social encounter in isolated and non-isolated rats. The aims of this study were to: (1) extract the most important neurotransmitters and their metabolites that are involved in social encounter-induced emission of 50 kHz calls; (2) to elucidate mutual relationships among the neurochemical changes in the selected, six brain structures, and analyze compound relationships by step analysis; (3) create a model of all-to-all neurotransmitter correlations; (4) find the neurochemical basis of 50-kHz USVs emission during social encounter. Our behavioral and neurochemical analysis indicated that social encounter was a triggering factor of the glutamatergic neurotransmission in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), hippocampus, and amygdala; serotonergic neurotransmission in the NAcc, CPu, and amygdala; the dopaminergic neurotransmission in the caudate putamen (CPu) and hippocampus; GABAergic neurotransmission in the hippocampus and VTA. Social encounter-induced 50-kHz USVs were bound up with changes in glutamate in amygdala and VTA, glycine in the amygdala, VTA, hippocampus, nucleus accumbens and CPu, and dopamine metabolites in VTA and CPu.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Hamed
- Laboratory of Spatial Memory, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, Warsaw 02-093, Poland.
| | - Miron Bartosz Kursa
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Mathematical and Computational Modelling, University of Warsaw, Pawinskiego 5A, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
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Brudzynski SM. Emission of 22 kHz vocalizations in rats as an evolutionary equivalent of human crying: Relationship to depression. Behav Brain Res 2019; 363:1-12. [PMID: 30677449 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.01.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Revised: 01/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
There is no clear relationship between crying and depression based on human neuropsychiatric observations. This situation originates from lack of suitable animal models of human crying. In the present article, an attempt will be made to answer the question whether emission of rat aversive vocalizations (22 kHz calls) may be regarded as an evolutionary equivalent of adult human crying. Using this comparison, the symptom of crying in depressed human patients will be reanalyzed. Numerous features and characteristics of rat 22 kHz aversive vocalizations and human crying vocalizations are equivalent. Comparing evolutionary, biological, physiological, neurophysiological, social, pharmacological, and pathological aspects have shown vast majority of common features. It is concluded that emission of rat 22 kHz vocalizations may be treated as an evolutionary vocal homolog of human crying, although emission of 22 kHz calls is not exactly the same phenomenon because of significant differences in cognitive processes between these species. It is further concluded that rat 22 kHz vocalizations and human crying vocalizations are both expressing anxiety and not depression. Analysis of the relationship between anxiety and depression reported in clinical studies supports this conclusion regardless of the nature and extent of comorbidity between these pathological states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan M Brudzynski
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada.
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Hamed A, Kursa MB. Inter-individual differences in serotonin and glutamate co-transmission reflect differentiation in context-induced conditioned 50-kHz USVs response after morphine withdrawal. Brain Struct Funct 2018; 223:3149-3167. [PMID: 29774428 PMCID: PMC6132671 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-018-1683-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2017] [Accepted: 05/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
A growing body of research provides compelling evidence that in rats 50-kHz USVs are a form of expression of positive emotions. Context-induced 50-kHz USVs emission is variable among rats, indicating individual differences in contextual response bound up with pharmacological reward. The aims of this study were to: extract the most important neurotransmitters related to context-induced conditioned 50-kHz USVs response; find biological basis of existing inter-individual differences in context-induced conditioned 50-kHz USVs response; create a model of all-to-all neurotransmitters correlations. The data collected here confirms that re-exposure to the context of morphine administration after the withdrawal period increases the level of 50-kHz USVs and this contextual response is associated with elevated serotonin concentrations in amygdala, hippocampus and mPFC and with increased Glu/Gln ratio in nucleus accumbens. The concentration of serotonin increases simultaneously in amygdala, nucleus accumbens and hippocampus. Moreover, 5-HT concentration in amygdala is bound up with glutamate level in this structure as well as in hippocampus. Furthermore, Glu/Gln ratio in nucleus accumbens has strong associations with Glu/Gln ratio simultaneously in VTA, amygdala, striatum and hippocampus. All-to-all-analysis indicate that concentration of glutamate in hippocampus is proportional to glutamate in VTA and GABA concentration in the hippocampus. We have also demonstrated that Glu/GABA ratio in VTA and amygdala was elevated after post withdrawal re-exposure to the pharmacological reward paired context. Presented analysis indicates a strong correlation between serotonergic and glutamatergic systems in context-induced conditioned response. The strength of this co-transmission correlates with the number of 50-kHz USVs emitted in response to morphine-paired context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Hamed
- Laboratory of Spatial Memory, Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093, Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Miron Bartosz Kursa
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Mathematical and Computational Modelling, University of Warsaw, Pawinskiego 5A, 02-106, Warsaw, Poland
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Simola N, Brudzynski SM. Rat 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations as a tool in studying neurochemical mechanisms that regulate positive emotional states. J Neurosci Methods 2018; 310:33-44. [PMID: 29959002 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2018.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2018] [Revised: 06/22/2018] [Accepted: 06/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adolescent and adult rats emit 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) to communicate the appetitive arousal and the presence of positive emotional states to conspecifics. NEW METHOD Based on its communicative function, emission of 50-kHz USVs is increasingly being evaluated in preclinical studies of affective behavior, motivation and social behavior. RESULTS Emission of 50-kHz USVs is initiated by the activation of dopamine receptors in the shell subregion of the nucleus accumbens. However, several lines of evidence show that non-dopaminergic receptors may influence the numbers of 50-kHz USVs that are emitted, as well as the acoustic parameters of calls. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS Emission of 50-kHz USVs is a non-invasive method that may be used to study reward and motivation without the need for extensive training and complex animal manipulations. Moreover, emission of 50-kHz USVs can be used alone or combined with other well-standardized behavioral paradigms (e.g., conditioned place preference, self-administration). CONCLUSIONS This review summarizes the current evidence concerning molecular mechanisms that regulate the emission of 50-kHz USVs. Moreover, the review discusses the usefulness of 50-kHz USVs as an experimental tool to investigate how different neurotransmitter systems regulate the manifestations of positive emotional states, and also use of this tool in preclinical modeling of psychiatric diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Simola
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Neuropsychopharmacology Division, University of Cagliari, Italy; National Institute of Neuroscience (INN), University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
| | - Stefan M Brudzynski
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, L3 3A1 Canada
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Wöhr M, Engelhardt KA, Seffer D, Sungur AÖ, Schwarting RKW. Acoustic Communication in Rats: Effects of Social Experiences on Ultrasonic Vocalizations as Socio-affective Signals. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2017; 30:67-89. [PMID: 26577915 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2015_410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Ultrasonic vocalizations (USV) serve important communicative functions as socio-affective signals in rats. In aversive situations, such as inter-male aggression and predator exposure, 22-kHz USV are emitted. They likely function as appeasement signals during fighting and/or as alarm calls to warn conspecifics. In appetitive situations, 50-kHz USV are uttered, most notably during social interactions, such as rough-and-tumble play and mating. It is believed that they fulfill an affiliative function as social contact calls. Social experiences or their lack, such as social isolation, can have profound impact on the emission of 22- and 50-kHz USV by the sender in later life, albeit direction and strength of observed effects vary, with time point of occurrence and duration being critical determinants. Little, however, is known about how social experiences affect the behavioral responses evoked by 22- and 50-kHz USV in the recipient. By means of our 50-kHz USV radial maze playback paradigm, we recently showed that the behavioral response elicited in the recipient is affected by post-weaning social isolation. Rats exposed to four weeks of isolation during the rough-and-tumble play period did not display social approach behavior toward 50-kHz USV but some signs of social avoidance. We further found that physical environmental enrichment providing minimal opportunities for social interactions has similar detrimental effects. Together, this indicates that social experiences can affect socio-affective communication in rodents, both at the level of sender and recipient. Deficits seen following post-weaning social isolation or physical environmental enrichment might be useful to model aspects of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by social and communication deficits, such as autism and schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Wöhr
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Gutenbergstr. 18, 35032, Marburg, Germany.
| | - K Alexander Engelhardt
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Gutenbergstr. 18, 35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Dominik Seffer
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Gutenbergstr. 18, 35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - A Özge Sungur
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Gutenbergstr. 18, 35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Rainer K W Schwarting
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Gutenbergstr. 18, 35032, Marburg, Germany
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Hamed A, Daszczuk P, Kursa MB, Turzyńska D, Sobolewska A, Lehner M, Boguszewski PM, Szyndler J. Non-parametric analysis of neurochemical effects and Arc expression in amphetamine-induced 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalization. Behav Brain Res 2016; 312:174-85. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.05.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2016] [Revised: 05/16/2016] [Accepted: 05/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Hamed A, Szyndler J, Taracha E, Turzyńska D, Sobolewska A, Lehner M, Krząścik P, Daszczuk P. κ-opioid receptor as a key mediator in the regulation of appetitive 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2015; 232:1941-55. [PMID: 25466704 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-014-3824-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2013] [Accepted: 11/20/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Acute administration of high doses of morphine reduced 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs). Although morphine meets the classical criteria for inducing 50-kHz USVs (it causes place preference and induces dopamine release in nucleus accumbens), it also inhibits appetitive vocalizations. OBJECTIVE The aims of this study were to (i) study the pharmacological impact of κ-opioid (KOR) and μ-opioid receptor (MOR) ligands on the emission of 50-kHz USVs triggered by social interaction after long-term isolation and (ii) analyze the concentrations of the main neurotransmitters in reward-related structures (ventral tegmental area (VTA), nucleus accumbens (NAcc), and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)). METHODS In an attempt to define the effects of opioid-receptor activation on the reward system, we used a social interaction test (after 21 days isolation). HPLC analysis was used to determine the monoamine and amino acid concentrations in reward-related structures. RESULTS U-50488 (10.0 mg/kg), morphine (5.0 and 1.0 mg/kg), and naltrexone (5.0 mg/kg) decreased, and nor-BNI (10.0 mg/kg) increased 50-kHz USVs. Acute pretreatment with nor-BNI or naltrexone reduced the 50-kHz suppression induced via morphine. The biochemical data showed several variations between groups regarding dopamine concentrations, serotonin, and their metabolites; these data may suggest that the levels of emitted ultrasound in the 50-kHz band are inversely proportional to the 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA)/3-methoxytyramine (3-MT) ratio in the VTA. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate an important role for KOR in the regulation of 50-kHz USV emissions and suggest that KOR activation may be a key mediator in the regulation of reward responses. Changes in the balance between serotonin and dopamine concentrations in the VTA may be a key predictor for 50-kHz USV emission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Hamed
- Department of Neurochemistry, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, 9 Sobieskiego Street, Warsaw, 02-957, Poland,
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Simola N. Rat Ultrasonic Vocalizations and Behavioral Neuropharmacology: From the Screening of Drugs to the Study of Disease. Curr Neuropharmacol 2015; 13:164-79. [PMID: 26411760 PMCID: PMC4598429 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x13999150318113800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2014] [Revised: 10/12/2014] [Accepted: 10/14/2014] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Several lines of evidence indicate that rats emit ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in response to a wide range of stimuli that are capable of producing either euphoric (positive) or dysphoric (negative) emotional states. On these bases, recordings of USVs are extensively used in preclinical studies of affect, motivation, and social behavior. Rat USVs are sensitive to the effects of certain classes of psychoactive drugs, suggesting that emission of rat USVs can have relevance not only to neurobiology, but also to neuropharmacology and psychopharmacology. This review summarizes three types of rat USVs, namely 40-kHz USVs emitted by pups, 22-kHz USVs and 50-kHz USVs emitted by young and adult animals, and relevance of these vocalizations to neuropharmacological studies. Attention will be focused on the issues of how rat USVs can be used to evaluate the pharmacological properties of different classes of drugs, and how rat USVs can be combined with other behavioral models used in neuropharmacology. The strengths and limitations of experimental paradigms based on the evaluation of rat USVs will also be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Simola
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Neuropsychopharmacology, University of Cagliari, Via Ospedale, 72, 09124, Cagliari, Italy.
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Yee N, Schwarting RKW, Fuchs E, Wöhr M. Juvenile stress potentiates aversive 22-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations and freezing during auditory fear conditioning in adult male rats. Stress 2012; 15:533-44. [PMID: 22150360 DOI: 10.3109/10253890.2011.646348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Traumatic experiences that occur during adolescence can render individuals vulnerable to mood and anxiety disorders. A model in juvenile rats (age: 27-29 days) was developed previously to study the long-term effects of adolescent stress exposure on behaviour and physiology. This paradigm, termed juvenile stress, involves subjecting juvenile rats to different stressors on consecutive days over a 3-day period. Here, we investigated the effects of the juvenile stress paradigm on freezing behaviour and aversive 22-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) during auditory fear conditioning in adult male rats (age: 68-90 days). We found that rats previously subjected to juvenile stress increased aversive 22-kHz USVs (total calls and time spent calling) compared with controls during fear-conditioning training. The acoustic USV parameters between control and juvenile stress rats were largely equivalent, including duration, peak frequency and amplitude. While rats did not differ in freezing behaviour during fear conditioning, juvenile stress rats exhibited greater cue-conditioned freezing upon testing 24 h later. Our results show that juvenile stress elicited different long-term changes in freezing and aversive USVs during fear conditioning. Furthermore, they highlight the importance of assessing USVs to detect experience-dependent differences between control and stress-exposed animals which are not detectable by measuring visible behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Yee
- Clinical Neurobiology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, Göttingen 37077, Germany.
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Taracha E, Hamed A, Krząścik P, Lehner M, Skórzewska A, Płaźnik A, Chrapusta SJ. Inter-individual diversity and intra-individual stability of amphetamine-induced sensitization of frequency-modulated 50-kHz vocalization in Sprague-Dawley rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2012; 222:619-32. [PMID: 22354555 PMCID: PMC3402670 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-012-2658-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2011] [Accepted: 01/31/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Propensity for drug dependence shows great diversity that is related to intrinsic neurobiological factors. This diversity is important both for the understanding of these traits and for the development of therapies. OBJECTIVES The goals of the study were (1) to define, using ultrasonic vocalization characteristics, inter-individual differences in rats' propensity for sensitization to amphetamine, (2) to test whether possible resistance to this effect could be overcome with repetitive treatment, and (3) to seek useful predictors of the propensity. METHODS Rats were subject to tests meant to characterize their anxiety, pain sensitivity, and responses to novelty and natural rewards. Then they were subject to the so-called two-injection protocol of sensitization (using amphetamine) followed by 2 weeks of daily amphetamine treatment, 2-week withdrawal, and final amphetamine challenge. The development and outcome of sensitization were monitored by measuring 50-kHz vocalization. RESULTS The two-injection protocol yielded three patterns of changes in the frequency-modulated 50-kHz vocalization response to amphetamine. These patterns persisted after completion of the extended drug treatment. Rats with lower sensitivity to pain or with longer latency of their vocalization response to the first drug exposure showed an increased propensity for ultrasonic vocalization sensitization. CONCLUSION Vulnerability to sensitization of frequency-modulated 50-kHz vocalization response of Sprague-Dawley rats to amphetamine, which supposedly reflects rats' propensity for amphetamine dependence, shows large inter-individual diversity. Resistance to this effect, which is evident in a majority of the rats, cannot be overcome even with prolonged intermittent drug treatment under the conditions (novelty) that promote sensitization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewa Taracha
- Department of Neurochemistry, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, 9 Sobieskiego St, 02-957 Warsaw, Poland.
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Destrez A, Deiss V, Belzung C, Lee C, Boissy A. Does reduction of fearfulness tend to reduce pessimistic-like judgment in lambs? Appl Anim Behav Sci 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2012.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Hamed A, Taracha E, Szyndler J, Krząścik P, Lehner M, Maciejak P, Skórzewska A, Płaźnik A. The effects of morphine and morphine conditioned context on 50 kHz ultrasonic vocalisation in rats. Behav Brain Res 2012; 229:447-50. [PMID: 22326697 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.01.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2011] [Revised: 01/23/2012] [Accepted: 01/27/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The 50 kHz ultrasonic vocalisations (USVs) that are emitted by rats are dependent on activity of dopaminergic neurons projecting from the ventral tegmental area to the limbic and cortical structures. According to many experimental data, emission of the 50 kHz USV reflects a positive emotional state. The appetitive calls are also emitted in response to the administration of drugs of abuse, e.g., cocaine or amphetamine (AMPH), or in a reply to a positively conditioned context. However, there is no strong evidence in the literature that morphine can also modulate 50 kHz USVs. The aim of this paper is to study the effects of morphine and morphine-conditioned context on 50 kHz USVs, using spontaneously or drug-modulated 50 kHz USVs. Our results showed that acute administration of morphine to rats after withdrawal period inhibited the emission of 50 kHz USVs. The stimulating effect of morphine-conditioned context on 50 kHz USVs appeared on the post-withdrawal challenge day immediately before drug injection, 14 days after the last episode of morphine-induced context conditioning. The context-induced 50 kHz USVs can be used as a sensitive test for drug dependency. The current study also shows that 50 kHz USVs can be useful tool for studying the mechanisms of long lasting central effects of morphine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Hamed
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Warsaw, 26/28 Krakowskie Przedmieście Street, 00-927 Warsaw, Poland.
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