Mesotelencephalic dopamine system and reproductive behavior in the female rat: Effects of ventral tegmental 6-hydroxydopamine lesions on maternal and sexual responsiveness.

Hansen, Stefan; Harthon, Christina; Wallin, Elisabeth; Löfberg, Lena; Svensson, Kjell

doi:10.1037/0735-7044.105.4.588

Cited by 179 publications

(120 citation statements)

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“…Dopamine transporter knockout mice, which were characterized as being easily aroused by novelty, did not exhibit higher levels of aggressiveness (Spielewoy et al, 2000). Rat dams that were given VTA microinfusions of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) during lactation showed a persistent deficit in pup retrieval, but were not impaired with respect to nursing, nest-building, or maternal aggression (Hansen et al, 1991b), whereas ICV infused 6-OHDA resulted in hyperemotional and hyper-aggressive behavior in female rats (Sorenson and Gordon, 1975). Preliminary findings from our lab (Johns et al, 1995) reported that maternal aggressive behavior following 1.5 mg/kg of AFA given to rats during gestation reduced maternal aggressive behavior significantly on PPD 6.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of dopaminergic/serotonergic reuptake inhibition on maternal behavior, maternal aggression, and oxytocin in the rat

Johns

Joyner

McMurray

et al. 2005

Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior

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Studies using dopaminergic and serotonergic agonists or antagonists implicate involvement of these systems in various aspects of early maternal behavior and postpartum aggression towards an intruder in rats, both of which are associated with the presence of oxytocin in specific brain regions. It is unclear however, if or how long-term uptake inhibition of either neurotransmitter system alone or in combination, affects oxytocin system dynamics or maternal behavior/ aggression. Pregnant women frequently take drugs (antidepressants, cocaine) that induce longterm reuptake inhibition of dopamine and/or serotonin, thus it is important to understand these effects on behavior and biochemistry. Rat dams were treated throughout gestation with amfonelic acid, fluoxetine, or a combination of both, to investigate effects of reuptake inhibition of dopamine and serotonin systems respectively, on maternal behavior, aggression and oxytocin. The more appetitive aspects of maternal behavior (nesting, licking, touching) and activity were increased by the low dose of amfonelic acid, high dose of fluoxetine, or the high dose combination more than other treatments. Aggression was decreased by amfonelic acid and somewhat increased by fluoxetine. Dopamine uptake inhibition appears to have a strong effect on hippocampal oxytocin levels, while receptor dynamics may be more strongly affected by serotonin uptake inhibition.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of dopaminergic/serotonergic reuptake inhibition on maternal behavior, maternal aggression, and oxytocin in the rat

Johns

Joyner

McMurray

et al. 2005

Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior

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“…Disrup tion of the DA terminals in the n. accumbens by elec trolytic lesion [65] or by 6-0HDA lesion [22][23][24][25] de creases the expression and initiation of maternal behavior. Dopamine receptor blockade by haloperidol disrupts some aspects of maternal behavior [19], whereas stimulation of dopamine, indirectly by tail pinch [1], facilitates the devel opment of maternal behavior [7 I].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Opioid stimulation in the ventral tegmental area facilitates the onset of maternal behavior in rats

Thompson

Kristal

1996

Brain Research

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This research investigated the effect of an increase or decrease in opioid activity in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) on the onset of maternal behavior in rats. In Experiment 1, the latency to show maternal behavior toward foster rat pups (sensitization latency) was determined in maternally naive female rats given either nothing or a unilateral intra-VTA injection of morphine sulfate (MS) (0.0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.1 or 0.3 J.Lg), on the first three days of a lO-day period' of constant exposure to pups. Rats treated with 0.03 J.Lg MS had significantly shorter sensitization latencies than did rats treated with 0,0 J.Lg MS, 0.01 J.Lg MS, or receiving no treatment (higher doses of morphine produced intermediate results). The facilitating effect of intra-VTA MS on the onset of maternal behavior was blocked by pretreatment with naltrexone hydrochloride and was found to have a specific site of action in the VTA (MS injections dorsal to the VTA were ineffective). In Experiment 2, sensitization latencies were determined in periparturitional rats given a bilateral intra-VTA injection of either the opioid antagonist naltrexone methobromide (quaternary naltrexone), its vehicle, a sham injection, or left untreated 40 min after delivery of the last pup. The mothers' own pups were removed at delivery; mothers were nonmaternal at the time of testing. Quaternary naltrexone treatment produced significantly slower sensitization to foster pups than did control conditions. Total activity and pup-directed activity did not differ significantly with treatment. The results demonstrate that increased opioid activity in the VTA facilitates the onset of maternal behavior in inexperienced nonpregnant female rats, and decreased opioid activity in the VTA disrupts the rapid onset of maternal behavior at parturition.

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“…Increased postpartum dopaminergic activity is essential for maternalpup caregiving (Hansen et al, 1991;Stolzenberg and Numan, 2011), with positive correlations between suckling and maternal striatal DA (Champagne et al, 2004). Higher striatal DA concentrations were detected both at 4 days postpartum compared with estrous controls (Glaser et al, 1990) and in parous compared with nulliparous rodents (Byrnes et al, 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Postpartum and Depression Status are Associated With Lower [11C]raclopride BPND in Reproductive-Age Women

Moses‐Kolko

Price

Wisner

et al. 2012

Neuropsychopharmacol

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The early postpartum period is associated with increased risk for affective and psychotic disorders. Because maternal dopaminergic reward system function is altered with perinatal status, dopaminergic system dysregulation may be an important mechanism of postpartum psychiatric disorders. Subjects included were non-postpartum healthy (n ¼ 13), postpartum healthy (n ¼ 13), nonpostpartum unipolar depressed (n ¼ 10), non-postpartum bipolar depressed (n ¼ 7), postpartum unipolar (n ¼ 13), and postpartum bipolar depressed (n ¼ 7) women. Subjects underwent 60 min of [ 11 C]raclopride-positron emission tomography imaging to determine the nondisplaceable striatal D 2/3 receptor binding potential (BP ND ). Postpartum status and unipolar depression were associated with lower striatal D 2/3 receptor BP ND in the whole striatum (p ¼ 0.05 and p ¼ 0.02, respectively) that reached a maximum of 7-8% in anteroventral striatum for postpartum status (p ¼ 0.02). Unipolar depression showed a nonsignificant trend toward being associated with 5% lower BP ND in dorsal striatum (p ¼ 0.06). D 2/3 receptor BP ND did not differ significantly between unipolar depressed and healthy postpartum women or between bipolar and healthy subjects; however, D 2/3 receptor BP ND was higher in dorsal striatal regions in bipolar relative to unipolar depressives (p ¼ 0.02). In conclusion, lower striatal D 2/3 receptor BP ND in postpartum and unipolar depressed women, primarily in ventral striatum, and higher dorsal striatal D 2/3 receptor BP ND in bipolar relative to unipolar depressives reveal a potential role for the dopamine (DA) system in the physiology of these states. Further studies delineating the mechanisms underlying these differences in D 2/3 receptor BP ND , including study of DA system responsivity to rewarding stimuli, and increasing power to assess unipolar vs bipolarrelated differences, are needed to better understand the affective role of the DA system in postpartum and depressed women.

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Mesotelencephalic dopamine system and reproductive behavior in the female rat: Effects of ventral tegmental 6-hydroxydopamine lesions on maternal and sexual responsiveness.

Cited by 179 publications

References 68 publications

The effects of dopaminergic/serotonergic reuptake inhibition on maternal behavior, maternal aggression, and oxytocin in the rat

The effects of dopaminergic/serotonergic reuptake inhibition on maternal behavior, maternal aggression, and oxytocin in the rat

Opioid stimulation in the ventral tegmental area facilitates the onset of maternal behavior in rats

Postpartum and Depression Status are Associated With Lower [11C]raclopride BPND in Reproductive-Age Women

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