Individual differences in behavioral responses to novelty and amphetamine self-administration in male and female rats

Abstract

Previous work has shown that individual differences in locomotor activity in an inescapable novel environment can predict acquisition of amphetamine self-administration. The current study examined whether individual differences in approach to novelty in a free choice test could also predict amphetamine self-administration. Further, the current study examined whether individual differences in either free choice or inescapable novelty tests could predict responding for a nondrug reinforcer (sucrose) in the presence and absence of amphetamine. Male and female rats were first tested for their response to free choice novelty (playground maze and novelty-induced place preference tests) and inescapable novelty. They were then tested for acquisition of sucrose-reinforced responding, amphetamine-induced changes in maintenance of sucrose-reinforced responding, and amphetamine self-administration. Based on the inescapable novelty test, acquisition of sucrose-reinforced responding was more rapid in male high responders (HR) compared to low responders (LR). This effect in males did not generalize to females. None of the novelty tests predicted the ability of amphetamine to decrease sucrose-maintained responding. However, using the inescapable novelty test, both male and female HRs self-administered more amphetamine than LRs within the dose range tested (0.03-0.16mg/ kg/infusion). Neither the playground maze nor the novelty-induced place preference test predicted amphetamine self-administration. These results indicate that responses to free choice novelty and inescapable novelty predict different components of amphetamine-induced behavior. O 2001 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Genetic background and epigenetic modifications in the core of the nucleus accumbens predict addiction-like behavior in a rat model

“…One prominent example is a study demonstrating that the diagnostic criteria for addiction could be modeled in rats (25). With the emergence of this animal model of "addiction," it was reported that locomotor response to novelty-or "sensation-seeking" as measured in the rat-is not associated with addiction liability per se (21,25,50), but does remain a good predictor of the initial propensity to take drugs (22,51). Although the design of the present study did not permit phenotypic differences to emerge in the acquisition of drug-taking behavior as it is typically assessed (i.e.…”

Preferences for cocaine- or pup-associated chambers differentiates otherwise behaviorally identical postpartum maternal rats

“…Erb and Parker (1994) using a different novelty procedure and a different psychostimulant found no relationship between the strength of amphetamine place conditioning and responding in the novel environment. However, the data with amphetamine are more complex, since there is some evidence that place preference for amphetamine-associated cues could be predicted by reactivity to novelty (Klebaur and Bardo 1999;Klebaur et al 2001).…”

7-OH-DPAT and PD 128907 Selectively Activate the D3 Dopamine Receptor in a Novel Environment

“…Rodent locomotor response to a novel environment predicts the propensity to self-administer a variety of drugs of abuse (Piazza et al, 1990;Grimm and See, 1997;Klebaur et al, 2001;Suto et al, 2001). Sensitization of the locomotor response to amphetamine, cocaine, and morphine is more robust when drug is administered in a novel environment than when it is administered in the home cage (Badiani et al, 1995(Badiani et al, , 2000Fraioli et al, 1999).…”