Effects of anxiogenic drugs on the emission of 22- and 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations in adult rats

Willadsen, Maria; Best, Laura M.; Wöhr, Markus; Clarke, Paul B. S.

doi:10.1007/s00213-018-4942-4

Cited by 17 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…Other studies have found more selective effects on specific vocalizations. Two separate studies showed that injection of amphetamine causes a selective increase in trills and a decrease in 50 kHz flat calls [ 3 , 53 ]. In sum, amphetamine induces trills and possibly other frequency-modulated calls.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rat 50 kHz Trill Calls Are Tied to the Expectation of Social Interaction

2021

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Rats emit a variety of calls in the 40–80 kHz range (50 kHz calls). While these calls are generally associated with positive affect, it is unclear whether certain calls might be used selectively in certain contexts. To examine this, we looked at ultrasonic calls in 30–40 day old male rats during the expectation of either play or food, both of which are reinforcing. Behavior and vocalizations were recorded while rats were in a test chamber awaiting the arrival of a play partner or food over seven days of testing. Control groups were included for the non-specific effects of food deprivation and social isolation. Play reward led to an increase in 50 kHz vocalizations, generally, with specific increases in trill and “trill with jump” calls not seen in other groups. Expectation of food reward did not lead to a significant increase in vocalizations of any type, perhaps due to the young age of our study group. Further, rats that were food deprived for the food expectation study showed markedly lower calls overall and had a different profile of call types compared to rats that were socially isolated. Taken together, the results suggest that trill-associated calls may be used selectively when rats are socially isolated and/or expecting a social encounter.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rat 50 kHz Trill Calls Are Tied to the Expectation of Social Interaction

2021

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“…Place-preference behavior was reported after amphetamine injections that induced emission of 50 kHz vocalizations [ 344 ], confirming its hedonic nature. Despite suggestions that 50 kHz calls might be an (anxious) indicator of negative reinforcement learning [ 351 ], a recent pharmacological study has confirmed that emission of amphetamine-induced 50 kHz vocalizations reflect a hedonic state that is resistant to anxiogenic agents and, therefore, does not reflect anxiety [ 352 ]. Moreover, rats can also learn self-injection of amphetamine directly into the shell of the nucleus accumbens, further indicating hedonic nature of this activation [ 353 ].…”

Section: Vocalization As Expression Of Emotional Arousalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological Functions of Rat Ultrasonic Vocalizations, Arousal Mechanisms, and Call Initiation

Brudzyński

2021

Brain Sciences

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This review summarizes all reported and suspected functions of ultrasonic vocalizations in infant and adult rats. The review leads to the conclusion that all types of ultrasonic vocalizations subserving all functions are vocal expressions of emotional arousal initiated by the activity of the reticular core of the brainstem. The emotional arousal is dichotomic in nature and is initiated by two opposite-in-function ascending reticular systems that are separate from the cognitive reticular activating system. The mesolimbic cholinergic system initiates the aversive state of anxiety with concomitant emission of 22 kHz calls, while the mesolimbic dopaminergic system initiates the appetitive state of hedonia with concomitant emission of 50 kHz vocalizations. These two mutually exclusive arousal systems prepare the animal for two different behavioral outcomes. The transition from broadband infant isolation calls to the well-structured adult types of vocalizations is explained, and the social importance of adult rat vocal communication is emphasized. The association of 22 kHz and 50 kHz vocalizations with aversive and appetitive states, respectively, was utilized in numerous quantitatively measured preclinical models of physiological, psychological, neurological, neuropsychiatric, and neurodevelopmental investigations. The present review should help in understanding and the interpretation of these models in biomedical research.

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“…Possible mood-modifying effects of nornicotine have apparently not been studied in human subjects, whereas cotinine appears not to improve mood and may possibly be mildly anxiogenic (Benowitz et al 1983;Hatsukami et al 1998;Keenan et al 1994). Since drug-induced anxiety does not appear to produce a consistent change in USV emission (Willadsen et al 2018), cotinine would be expected not to affect USV emission, whereas nornicotine would mimic nicotine, albeit less potently, based its nicotine-like activity in other in vitro and behavioral assays (see above). In the present study, we also analyzed the rate of 50-kHz call emission, predicting that since our rats had a history of nicotine exposure, this drug would likely promote 50-kHz calling (Swalve et al 2016), potentially providing an additional measure with which to assess drug-drug interactions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of nicotine, nornicotine and cotinine, alone or in combination, on locomotor activity and ultrasonic vocalization emission in adult rats

et al. 2020

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Rationale The behavioral effects of the nicotine metabolites nornicotine and cotinine have not been investigated extensively. Objectives To evaluate the effects of nicotine, cotinine, and nornicotine, given alone or in combination, on locomotor activity and emission of ultrasonic vocalizations in male adult rats. Methods Rats were first given home cage nicotine injections to make them tolerant to the drug's locomotor depressant effects. On subsequent days, locomotor activity (LMA) and ultrasonic vocalizations were recorded in an open field, for 60 min after challenge injection, using repeated measures designs. In single-drug experiments, subjects were tested with nicotine 0.05-0.4 mg/kg, cotinine 0.03-3 mg/kg, or nornicotine 0.1-10 mg/kg. In drug-combination experiments, saline or nicotine 0.2 mg/kg challenge was preceded by cotinine (0, 0.3, 3 mg/kg) or nornicotine (0, 0.1, 0.3, 1, 3 mg/kg) injection. Results High doses of nornicotine increased LMA and blunted the locomotor stimulant effect of nicotine. Less consistently, nicotine and high doses of nornicotine decreased the 50-kHz call rate, with no clear evidence of a nornicotine × nicotine interaction. Cotinine, given alone or before nicotine injection, altered neither LMA nor the call rate. No drug altered the relative prevalence of flat vs. trill 50-kHz call subtypes, except that the highest dose of nornicotine promoted flat calls over trills. No drug evoked 22-kHz calls. Conclusion Nornicotine can exert an acute anti-nicotine effect in vivo, as previously reported in vitro. The finding that nicotine did not detectably alter the 50-kHz call profile appears consistent with this drug's mild subjective effects in human subjects.

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Effects of anxiogenic drugs on the emission of 22- and 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations in adult rats

Abstract: Anxiogenic drugs, as a class, did not uniformly alter the 50-kHz call rate or subtype profile. Amphetamine-induced effects on 50-kHz call rate and profile do not reflect anxiety.

Cited by 17 publications

References 67 publications

Rat 50 kHz Trill Calls Are Tied to the Expectation of Social Interaction

Rat 50 kHz Trill Calls Are Tied to the Expectation of Social Interaction

Biological Functions of Rat Ultrasonic Vocalizations, Arousal Mechanisms, and Call Initiation

Effects of nicotine, nornicotine and cotinine, alone or in combination, on locomotor activity and ultrasonic vocalization emission in adult rats

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