Variations in nucleus accumbens dopamine associated with individual differences in maternal behavior in the rat.

ABSTRACT: Lactating rats exhibit stable individual differences in pup licking/grooming. We used in vivo voltammetry to monitor changes in extracellular dopamine (DA) in the nucleus accumbens (n. Acc) shell of lactating rats interacting with pups and found that (1) the DA signal increased significantly with pup licking/grooming; (2) the onset of such increases preceded pup licking/grooming; and (3) the magnitude and duration of the increase in the DA signal were significantly correlated with the duration of the licking/grooming bout. In females characterized on the basis of behavioral observations as high-licking/grooming mothers, the magnitude of the increase in the DA signal associated with licking/grooming was significantly greater than in low-licking/grooming dams. Dopamine transporter binding in

SUBMITTER: Champagne FA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6729285 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature