Oxytocin Differentially Affects Sucrose Taking and Seeking in Male and Female Rats
نویسندگان
چکیده
Oxytocin has a modulatory role in natural and drug reward processes. While the role of oxytocin in pair bonding and reproduction has been extensively studied, sex differences in conditioned and unconditioned behavioral responses to oxytocin treatment have not been fully characterized. Here, we determined whether male and female rats would show similar dose response curves in response to acute oxytocin on measures of locomotor activity, sucrose seeking, and sucrose intake. Male and freely cycling female rats received vehicle or oxytocin (0.1, 0.3, 1, 3mg/kg, IP) injections before behavioral tests designed to assess general motor activity, as well as sucrose self-administration and seeking. Lower doses of oxytocin decreased motor activity in a novel environment in females relative to males. Likewise, lower doses of oxytocin in females decreased responding for sucrose during maintenance of sucrose self-administration and reinstatement to sucrose-conditioned cues. However, sucrose seeking in response to a sucrose prime was only decreased by the highest oxytocin dose in both sexes. In general, oxytocin had similar effects in both sexes. However, females were more sensitive to lower doses of oxytocin than males. These findings are consistent with the notion that oxytocin regulates many of the same behaviors in males and females, but that the effects are typically more profound in females. Therapeutic use of oxytocin should include sex as a factor in determining dose regimens.
منابع مشابه
Sex differences in methamphetamine seeking in rats: Impact of oxytocin
Previous evidence in an animal model of drug self-administration and drug seeking showed that acute oxytocin decreased methamphetamine (meth) seeking in male rats, suggesting potential clinical efficacy for the treatment of psychostimulant addiction. However, based on the well-established role of oxytocin in reproduction and pair bond formation, it is important to know how this effect extrapola...
متن کاملRole of orexin/hypocretin in conditioned sucrose-seeking in female rats.
The orexin/hypocretin system has recently been implicated in reward-seeking, especially for highly salient food and drug rewards. Given that eating disorders affect women more than men, we reasoned that the orexin system may be strongly engaged in female rats, and during periods of food restriction as we recently reported in male rats. Therefore, the present study examined the involvement of th...
متن کاملOxytocin Reduces Cocaine Cued Fos Activation in a Regionally Specific Manner
Background Oxytocin may be a possible treatment for multiple neuropsychiatric disorders, including cocaine addiction. Little is known about the site-specific effects of oxytocin on various drug addiction-related brain regions. Furthermore, sexually dimorphic effects of oxytocin on neural function in the addiction circuit have not been established. Here, we studied Fos expression following cocai...
متن کاملPeroxisomal Malfunction Caused by Mitochondrial Toxin 3-NP: Protective Role of Oxytocin
Peroxisomes are single membrane cell organelles with a diversity of metabolic functions. Here we studied the peroxisomal dysfunction and oxidative stress after 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP) induced neurotoxicity and the possible protective effects of oxytocin. Adult male and female rats were subjected to Oxt and/or 3-NP treatment. The antioxidant enzymes, Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and Catalase ...
متن کاملOxytocin improves autistic-like behaviors induced by maternal deprivation in female rats
Background and Objective: Maternal deprivation as an early life negative experience can lead to enduring disorders such as autism-like behaviors by affecting brain development. Oxytocinergic system alters in the process of maternal deprivation, on the other hand the positive effect of oxytocin on the improvement of social behavior and stereotyped behavior in autism disorder has been shown. In t...
متن کامل