The first suckling episode in the rat: The role of endogenous activity at mu and kappa opioid receptors

The present study examined the role of endogenous activity at μ and κ opioid receptors in attachment to and ingestion of milk from a surrogate nipple in cesarean‐delivered newborn rats prior to regular suckling experience. Selective opioid antagonist drugs were injected into the cisterna magna (IC administration) or lateral ventricles (ICV administration). Blockade of endogenous activity at μ opioid receptors by IC administration of the selective antagonist CTOP reduced attachment time and markedly increased disengagements from the nipple. CTOP also increased the intensity of suckling measured as milk intake per min attached to the nipple, when milk was available from the nipple in a free‐access regime, and enhanced intake when milk was infused through an intraoral cannula aside from the suckling context. The ICV administration of the selective κ antagonist nor‐BNI considerably increased latency to grasp the surrogate nipple, while time on the nipple and milk intake were decreased. The presented data suggest that populations of μ and κ receptor‐containing neurons, differentiable by the route of antagonist administration, play an important role in initiation and maintenance of suckling behavior in the newborn rat during its first encounter with the nipple and milk. The κ opioid system is predominantly involved in the initiation of the newborn's behavior directed toward the nipple providing milk. The role of the μ opioid system seems more complicated: it transforms initial oral grasp responses into sustained attachment to the nipple and maintains the intake of milk at a certain physiological level. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 37: 129–143, 2000