Behavioural NeuroscienceResearch PaperThe medial preoptic area is necessary for motivated choice of pup- over cocaine-associated environments by early postpartum rats
Section snippets
Animals
All subjects were primiparous postpartum Sprague-Dawley female rats (original stock from Charles River Laboratories, Kingston, NY, USA) bred in our colony at the Rutgers University Laboratory Animal Facility (accredited by the American Association for Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care). Before giving birth, pregnant females were housed in individual cages (25.5 cm wide×47 cm long×23 cm high) lined with fresh woodchip bedding (Beta chip, Northeastern Products Corp., Warrensburg, NY, USA)
Location of the cannulae implantation site
Figs. 2A,3A, and 4A represent schematic cross sections of the rat brain showing the placement of the injection cannulae tips based on the microscopic analysis of Cresyl Violet-stained sections. Fig. 2A shows the placement of the injection cannula tips for the mPOA (nBUP=10 and nVEH=9) groups tested for pup-CPP, and Fig. 3A shows those for the groups of postpartum females tested for cocaine-CPP (n=12). Fig. 4A shows the location of the mPOA infusion sites for the postpartum groups tested in the
Discussion
The present results indicate that the functional integrity of the mPOA is necessary for the expression of context-induced pup- but not cocaine-seeking behavior. Thus, transient inactivation of the mPOA, produced by infusion of bupivacaine, completely eliminated the ability of pup-associated environmental cues to promote pup-seeking behavior, while conditioned behavioral responses to cocaine-associated stimuli were left intact. When given a choice between environments associated with pups or
Conclusion
In conclusion, the present study has demonstrated that motivation for pups and cocaine can be differentially modulated. A better understanding of the neural substrate underlying response selection among competing alternatives might importantly contribute to developing strategies for combating maternal drug abuse during the postpartum period. The present results strongly suggest that interventions that build upon promoting and/or restoring early mother-infant bonding might be more successful in
Acknowledgments
This research was supported by a NARSAD Young Investigator Award and NIH DA027945 awarded to MP and NIH DA014025 awarded to JIM. The authors thank Dr. Andrew M. Farrar and María José Zuluaga, M.Sc. for their support and critical comments on the manuscript, and the Laboratory Animal Facility staff at Rutgers University, Newark Campus for animal breeding and care.
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2023, Sleep Medicine ClinicsAdaptations in reward-related behaviors and mesolimbic dopamine function during motherhood and the postpartum period
2020, Frontiers in NeuroendocrinologyCitation Excerpt :This normative decline in pup reward during the postpartum has been shown to be dependent on two factors: changes in the dynamics of mother-pup interaction due to hormonal fluctuations in the postpartum dam, and changes in the needs of the pups due to their development, which alter their salience to the dam (Wansaw et al., 2008). Finally, it appears that both the mPOA and the mesolimbic DA system are required for the expression of pup-induced CPP, as place preference for pups is disrupted following mPOA/VTA inactivation or systemic DA blockade (Fleming et al., 1994; Seip and Morrell, 2009; Pereira and Morrell, 2010). Taken together, these findings demonstrate that parturition and the postpartum induce a switch in the valence of pup stimuli, which predisposes the animal to a behavioral shift in reward-related tasks, resulting from inhibition of avoidance and activation of approach neural systems in response to infant stimuli (Numan, 2007; Dulac et al., 2014).
Social modulation of drug use and drug addiction
2019, NeuropharmacologyCitation Excerpt :The option for social interaction suppresses the choice for methamphetamine even in rats that meet criteria for addiction (Venniro et al., 2018). Similarly, the incentive salience of pups for mothers can exceed that of cocaine during the early postpartum period (Mattson et al., 2001, 2003; Seip and Morrell, 2007; Pereira and Morrell, 2010). This parallels clinical studies showing that drug addicted women decrease their cocaine use during late pregnancy and lactation (for reviews see Chapman and Wu, 2013), and are more likely to ask for help to stop using drugs.
Thalamic integration of social stimuli regulating parental behavior and the oxytocin system
2018, Frontiers in NeuroendocrinologyCitation Excerpt :The treatment of the mother with the antagonist did not change retrieval behavior, suggesting that the primary appetitive aspect of maternal behavior remained unaffected. Therefore, it is possible that the formation or retention of the conditioned place preference was influenced as inactivation of the MPOA is known to prevent the expression of preference for the pup-associated compartment (Pereira and Morrell, 2010). To address this question, acute injection of the PTH2 receptor antagonist into the MPOA would be necessary at different phases of the conditioning for pup-associated place preference, including its acquisition and its performance.
Previous and recent maternal experiences modulate pups’ incentive value relative to a male without affecting maternal behavior in postpartum estrous rats
2016, Journal of Physiology ParisCitation Excerpt :In other words, the incentive value of pups affects the incentive value of the male when both stimuli are confronted in the preference task. Accordingly, Pereira and Morrell (Pereira and Morrell, 2010) determined that pups compete with cocaine as incentive stimuli, when given the choice between environments associated with pups or cocaine. However this effect is blocked by the transient inactivation of the medial preoptic area, biasing lactating females’ preference toward cocaine-associated cues.