Sex differences in aversive and appetitive conditioning in two strains of rats

Saavedra, Miguel; Abarca, Nureya; Arancibia, Paulina; Salinas, Valeria

doi:10.1016/0031-9384(90)90047-8

Cited by 18 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…A. Gray & Lalljee, 1974;Weinberg, Gunnar, Brett, Gonzalez, & Levine, 1982), lower latencies to respond to the shock in the avoidance-learning paradigm in females (Lehmann, Pryce, & Feldon, 1999;Saavedra, Abarca, Arancibia, & Salinas, 1990), and a decreased time to complete 25 licks after stimulus onset in the CER experiment in females (Heinsbroek, Van Haaren, & Van De Poll, 1988). This high degree of consistency with other reports in the literature, together with the finding of a robust LI effect across all three paradigms, provides a robust validation of the present study and the methodology used.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Long-term effects of a single 24-hour maternal separation on three different latent inhibition paradigms

2000

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Basing animal models for psychiatric diseases on purely environmental manipulations would be a great asset in biological research, such as in the screening of antipsychotic drugs, since they preclude possible interference from pharmacologically induced deficits. Recent investigations have yielded evidence that a single 24-h maternal separation (MS) in rats during the stress hyporesponsive period (SHRP) alters hypothalamic-adrenal-pituitary (HPA) axis response in adult rats and produces long-term behavioral effects, such as deficits in sensorimotor gating (prepulse inhibition) and selective attention (latent inhibition [LID, which have been related to schizophrenia. Since there are implications that the age of the pups at the time of separation may be a crucial parameter for the neuroendocrine and behavioral effects on adult animals, we investigated the effects of a single 24-h MS on postnatal day (PND) 4, 9, or 18 in unrelated adult male and female Wistar rats on three paradigms of LI: conditioned taste aversion (CTA), active avoidance (AA), and conditioned emotional response (CER). Whereas there was no effect of MS on CER, MS on PND 9 enhanced LI in the CTA paradigm, and MS on PND 18 disrupted LI in the AA paradigm in males only. Within subjects separated on PND 4, males displayed a severe learning deficit in the AA paradigm, and consequently LI was not ObseIVed. The results suggest that a single 24-h MS, irrespective of the developmental stage of the pups when separated, does not provide a robust animal model for adult disruption of selective attention similar to that obseIVed in schizophrenia.Schizophrenia patients often demonstrate attentional deficits, indicating compromised selective attention (Brebion, Smith, Gorman, & Amador, 1996;Hemsley & Zawda, 1976). In the rat, it has been demonstrated that manipulations early in infancy can lead to profound effects on behavior, and therefore it has been suggested that postnatal manipulations may serve as an animal model for human psychiatric diseases, such as attentional disorders. Animal models based purely on behaviorally induced deficits could provide advantages over pharmacological interventions, because they preclude the possibility of drug-drug interactions-for example, when investigating antipsychotic drugs (Geyer, Wilkinson, Humby, & Robbins, 1993;Varty & Higgins, 1995). Studies on early environmental manipulations have also been influenced by the human evidence that disturbances in brain development may induce schizophrenia, leading to the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia (Weinberger, 1987). In accordance with this hypothesis, rat models for The research was supported by a grant from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich. Special thanks are due C. R. Pryce and L. Lacroix for their invaluable help, P. Schmid for technical support, the animal care team for their assistance, and B. Strehler for her help with the preparation of the manuscript.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Long-term effects of a single 24-hour maternal separation on three different latent inhibition paradigms

2000

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“…It is possible that, even when the to-be-avoided event is merely cognitive feedback, females may be more motivated to avoid this event. On the other hand, there is a large body of literature suggesting that females may simply be faster to acquire associations, not only in active avoidance paradigms but also in classical conditioning (Shors et al 1998; Spence and Spence 1966; Wood and Shors 1998) and appetitive conditioning (Dreher et al 2007; Lynch 2008; Saavedra et al 1990), and such a tendency could also produce faster learning by females in the current task.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Behaviourally inhibited temperament and female sex, two vulnerability factors for anxiety disorders, facilitate conditioned avoidance (also) in humans

Sheynin

Beck

Pang

et al. 2014

Behavioural Processes

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Acquisition and maintenance of avoidance behaviour is a key feature of all human anxiety disorders. Animal models have been useful in understanding how anxiety vulnerability could translate into avoidance learning. For example, behaviourally-inhibited temperament and female sex, two vulnerability factors for clinical anxiety, are associated with faster acquisition of avoidance responses in rodents. However, to date, the translation of such empirical data to human populations has been limited since many features of animal avoidance paradigms are not typically captured in human research. Here, using a computer-based task that captures many features of rodent escape-avoidance learning paradigms, we investigated whether avoidance learning would be faster in humans with inhibited temperament and/or female sex and, if so, whether this facilitation would take the same form. Results showed that, as in rats, both vulnerability factors were associated with facilitated acquisition of avoidance behaviour in humans. Specifically, inhibited temperament was specifically associated with higher rate of avoidance responding, while female sex was associated with longer avoidance duration. These findings strengthen the direct link between animal avoidance work and human anxiety vulnerability, further motivating the study of animal models while also providing a simple testbed for a direct human testing.

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“…It should also be noted that the models of the acquisition of a pain stimulus avoidance reaction used here differ in the level of difficulty [23]. In the case of the one-way avoidance reaction, the "dangerous" (mesh floor) and "safe" (shelf) parts of the experimental chamber were consistent during the experiment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Differently Directed Influences of Semax on the Formation and Functional Impairments of an Active Avoidance Reaction in Rats

Иноземцев

Agapitova

Бокиева

et al. 2015

Neurosci Behav Physi

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ACTH/MSH-like peptides (melanocortins) play an important role in regulating many body functions, including CNS functions. The current literature includes extensive data on the influences of melanocortins on the acquisition of conditioned reflexes. Studies of the actions of melanocortins on the acquisition of reflexes with positive reinforcement have unambiguously demonstrated enhancing effects [24]. Experiments using a model with negative (pain) reinforcement did not yield unambiguous results. Various authors have shown that melanocortins have both positive [25] and negative influences on learning [20].The nootropic effects of natural ACTH fragments are transient and are only seen with the most active of these compounds -that of ACTH(4-10) lasts some 30-60 min [1]. Many investigators have attempted to increase the efficacy of natural melanocortins by introducing structural modifications. These experiments produced analogs of natural peptides lacking hormonal effects had having marked activity [18]. However, none of these analogs has found use in clinical practice.Semax -an analog of the ACTH(4-10) fragment whose structure includes the ACTH(4-7) fragment and the tripeptide Pro-Gly-Pro occupies an important position among the synthetic melanocortins. Animal experiments have shown that this peptide, like natural melanocortins, has a wide spectrum of neurotropic activities [12]. Semax improves learning in animals and the duration of its effect is at least 20 h [1]. This peptide is currently used as a nootropic and neuroprotective agent. Despite the fact that medicines developed on the basis of Semax have been used in clinical practice for more than 15 years, studies of the physiological effects of the peptide continue. The relevance of these studies comes from the need to explain the mechanisms of action of Semax and the potential for widening the spectrum of its clinical application.Animal experiments have repeatedly shown that Semax has positive effects on learning with positive reinforcement [16].The effects of Semax on the formation of a conditioned active avoidance reaction were studied in rats using different experimental models. I.p. administration of Semax at a dose of 0.05 mg/kg was found to accelerate the acquisition of a one-way conditioned avoidance reaction in a model of an active pain stimulus avoidance reflex in which the animals had to jump onto a shelf. In animals trained in a shuttle box, the peptide increased the threshold current required to provoked movement of the rats across the chamber and slowed acquisition of a two-way active avoidance reaction. Semax stimulated reproduction of the avoidance reaction in the shuttle box in rats after functional impairment induced by acute changes in cause-effect and spatial relationships in the experimental environment. These data support the view that this peptide has nootropic properties.

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Sex differences in aversive and appetitive conditioning in two strains of rats

Cited by 18 publications

References 27 publications

Long-term effects of a single 24-hour maternal separation on three different latent inhibition paradigms

Long-term effects of a single 24-hour maternal separation on three different latent inhibition paradigms

Behaviourally inhibited temperament and female sex, two vulnerability factors for anxiety disorders, facilitate conditioned avoidance (also) in humans

Differently Directed Influences of Semax on the Formation and Functional Impairments of an Active Avoidance Reaction in Rats

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