Medial nucleus accumbens dopamine receptors modulate motivation for wheel running in male mice.

ABSTRACT: Abnormal motivation for natural rewards is a hallmark of various psychiatric disorders, including behavioral addiction. The mesolimbic dopamine pathway has been identified as a critical modulator of motivated behavior primarily based on studies using food-reinforced operant tasks. However, the focus on food rewards in previous studies limits the generalizability of these findings to other natural rewards implicated in behavioral addiction. In this study, we investigated the reinforcing and high motivational properties of wheel running in rodents by developing a wheel running-reinforced operant conditioning procedure. This procedure allowed for the independent quantification of appetitive and consummatory behaviors as operant responses and running duration, respectively, facilitating an in-

SUBMITTER: Nishitani N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12603203 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature