The reinforcing property and the rewarding aftereffect of wheel running in rats: a combination of two paradigms

Belke, Terry W.; Wagner, Jason P.

doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2004.12.006

Cited by 118 publications

(90 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Although activity in a running wheel may be modulated by similar brain circuits as spontaneous activity, the presence of running wheels results in several aberrant effects on the amount and pattern of activity as well as on other aspects of energy balance in several rodent species including rats [4,5,13,38,80,83] and thus has independent, confounding influences on energy expenditure. All measurements took place during the light phase of the activity cycle.…”

Section: Physical Activity and Energy Expenditurementioning

confidence: 99%

Sensitivity of the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus to the locomotor-activating effects of neuromedin U in obesity

2007

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Obesity is associated with a decrease in energy expenditure relative to energy intake. The decrease in physical activity associated with obesity in several species, including humans, contributes to decreased energy expenditure. Several hormones and neuropeptides that affect appetite also modulate physical activity, including neuromedin U (NMU), a peptide found in the gut and brain. We have demonstrated that NMU microinjected into the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) in rats increases the energy expenditure associated with physical activity, called non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). Here we examined whether obesity in rats is related to decreased sensitivity of the PVN to the locomotor-activating effect of NMU. Diet-induced obese (DIO) rats and lean, dietresistant (DR) rats were given PVN microinjections of increasing doses of NMU both before and after one month on a high-fat diet. We found that NMU increases physical activity, energy expenditure, and NEAT in a dose-dependent manner in both DR and DIO rats, both before and after one month on the high-fat diet. Before high-fat feeding, the obesity-prone and lean rats showed similar levels of physical activity after intra-PVN microinjections of NMU. After one month of the high-fat diet, however, the obesity-resistant rats showed significantly more NMU-induced physical activity compared to the obese DIO rats. Taken together with previous studies, these results suggest that obesity may represent a state associated with decreased central sensitivity to neuropeptides such as NMU that increase physical activity and therefore energy expenditure.

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Section: Physical Activity and Energy Expenditurementioning

confidence: 99%

Sensitivity of the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus to the locomotor-activating effects of neuromedin U in obesity

2007

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“…Wheel running was indeed found to be reinforcing and rewarding and to activate brain rewards pathways. For instance, rats lever-press for an opportunity to run [5], develop conditioned place preference to the context associated with running [3,5] and show a rebound response to forced abstinence [3]. Furthermore, the effects of voluntary wheel running on the brain mimic those of other natural rewards and drugs of abuse [6,7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Corticosterone and dopamine D2/D3 receptors mediate the motivation for voluntary wheel running in C57BL/6J mice

Ebada

Kendall

Pardon

2016

Behavioural Brain Research

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Number of tables: 1Number of words in the abstract: 248Number of words in the manuscript (including tables and figure legends): 6,639Number of words in the introduction: 1,290Number of words in the discussion: 1,243 ABSTRACT Physical exercise can improve cognition but whether this is related to motivation levels is unknown. Voluntary wheel running is a rewarding activity proposed as a model of motivation to exercise. To question the potential effects of exercise motivation on subsequent behaviour, we used a pharmacological approach targeting some reward mechanisms. The stress hormone corticosterone has rewarding effects mediated by activation of low affinity glucocorticoid receptors (GR). To investigate whether corticosterone synthesis motivates exercise via activation of GRs and subsequently, impacts on behaviour, we treated C57BL/6J mice acutely with the inhibitor of corticosterone synthesis metyrapone (35 mg/kg) or repeatedly with the GR antagonist mifepristone (30 mg/kg) prior to 1-hour running wheel sessions. To investigate whether reducing motivation to exercise impacts on behaviour, we antagonised running-induced dopamine D2/D3 receptors activation with sulpiride (25 or 50 mg/kg) and assessed locomotor, anxiety-related and memory performance after 20 running sessions over 4 weeks. We found that corticosterone synthesis contributes to running levels, but the maintenance of running behaviour was not mediated by activation of GRs. Intermittent exercise was not associated with changes in behavioural or cognitive performance. The persistent reduction in exercise levels triggered by sulpiride also had limited impact on behavioural performance, although the level of performance for some behaviours was related to the level of exercise. Altogether, these findings indicate that corticosterone and dopamine D2/D3 receptor activation contribute to the motivation for wheel running, but suggest that motivation for exercise is not a sufficient factor to alter behaviour in healthy mice.

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“…For instance, acute bouts of exercise increase subjective ratings of joy, pleasantness, and euphoria in human volunteers (Nowlis and Greenberg, 1979;Janal et al, 1984;Nabetani and Tokunaga, 2001). Similarly, pairing a distinctive environment with the aftereffects of running produces a conditioned place preference in laboratory animals (Lett et al, 2000;Belke and Wagner, 2005). Exercise can also serve as a positive reinforcer, as both laboratory animals (Iversen, 1993;Belke, 1997;2000;Belke and Dunbar, 2001) and in-patient clinical populations (Schebendach et al, 2007) will perform an operant response that leads to the opportunity to exercise.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aerobic exercise decreases the positive-reinforcing effects of cocaine

Smith

Schmidt

Iordanou

et al. 2008

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

136

146

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Aerobic exercise can serve as an alternative, non-drug reinforcer in laboratory animals and has been recommended as a potential intervention for substance abusing populations. Unfortunately, relatively little empirical data have been collected that specifically address the possible protective effects of voluntary, long-term exercise on measures of drug self-administration. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of chronic exercise on sensitivity to the positive-reinforcing effects of cocaine in the drug self-administration procedure. Female rats were obtained at weaning and immediately divided into two groups. Sedentary rats were housed individually in standard laboratory cages that permitted no exercise beyond normal cage ambulation; exercising rats were housed individually in modified cages equipped with a running wheel. After 6 weeks under these conditions, rats were surgically implanted with venous catheters and trained to self-administer cocaine on a fixedratio schedule of reinforcement. Once self-administration was acquired, cocaine was made available on a progressive ratio schedule and breakpoints were obtained for various doses of cocaine. Sedentary and exercising rats did not differ in the time to acquire cocaine self-administration or responding on the fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement. However, on the progressive ratio schedule, breakpoints were significantly lower in exercising rats than sedentary rats when responding was maintained by both low (0.3 mg/kg/infusion) and high (1.0 mg/kg/infusion) doses of cocaine. In exercising rats, greater exercise output prior to catheter implantation was associated with lower breakpoints at the high dose of cocaine. These data indicate that chronic exercise decreases the positive-reinforcing effects of cocaine and support the possibility that exercise may be an effective intervention in drug abuse prevention and treatment programs.

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The reinforcing property and the rewarding aftereffect of wheel running in rats: a combination of two paradigms

Cited by 118 publications

References 21 publications

Sensitivity of the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus to the locomotor-activating effects of neuromedin U in obesity

Sensitivity of the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus to the locomotor-activating effects of neuromedin U in obesity

Corticosterone and dopamine D2/D3 receptors mediate the motivation for voluntary wheel running in C57BL/6J mice

Aerobic exercise decreases the positive-reinforcing effects of cocaine

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