Open AccessGenetics of novelty seeking, amphetamine self‐administration and reinstatement using inbred rats
Author(s) -
Meyer A. C.,
Rahman S.,
Charnigo R. J.,
Dwoskin L. P.,
Crabbe J. C.,
Bardo M. T.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
genes, brain and behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.315
H-Index - 91
eISSN - 1601-183X
pISSN - 1601-1848
DOI - 10.1111/j.1601-183x.2010.00616.x
Subject(s) - amphetamine , novelty , self administration , novelty seeking , inbred strain , preference , psychology , extinction (optical mineralogy) , stimulant , conditioned place preference , pharmacology , developmental psychology , biology , addiction , neuroscience , genetics , psychiatry , social psychology , dopamine , gene , paleontology , personality , temperament , economics , microeconomics
Previous research using outbred rats indicates that individual differences in activity in a novel environment predict sensitivity to the reinforcing effect of psychostimulant drugs. The current study examined if the link between responses related to novelty and amphetamine self‐administration is heritable. Twelve inbred rat strains were assessed for locomotor activity in a novel environment, preference for a novel environment, and intravenous amphetamine self‐administration (acquisition, extinction and amphetamine‐induced reinstatement). Strain differences were observed in activity in a novel environment, novelty preference and amphetamine self‐administration, indicating a genetic influence for each of these behaviors. While there was no relation between activity in an inescapable novel environment and amphetamine self‐administration, strain‐dependent differences in novelty preference were positively correlated with the amount of amphetamine self‐administered. There was also a positive correlation between the dose‐dependent rate of amphetamine self‐administration and magnitude of reinstatement. These results show that the activity in an inescapable novel environment and the preference for a novel environment are different genetically, and thus likely to reflect different behavioral constructs. Moreover, these results implicate a genetic influence on the relation between novelty seeking and stimulant self‐administration, as well as on the relation between stimulant reward and reinstatement.