Abstract
In neonatal rats, norepinephrine (NE) is necessary and sufficient for the acquisition of an olfactory preference and its associated olfactory bulb neural modifications as assessed by [14C] 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) and electroptiysiology. In the present studies, we assessed the influence of NE on the expression of a conditioned odor preference and its associated olfactory bulb neural modifications in neonatal rats. On Postnatal Day 5 (PN 5), pups were trained to prefer an odor in a 1-h classical conditioning paradigm. Experimental paired odor-stroke pups received 20 forward pairings of a 10-sec peppermint odor and a 9-sec reinforcing tactile stimulation (stroking). Control pups received either random stroke-odor pairings or were naive (received neither the odor nor stroking). The next day (PN 6), the pups were injected with either an NE β-receptor antagonist, (propranolol or timolol) or saline, 1 h prior to testing. The pups were tested for a behavioral olfactory preference and assessed for differential olfactory bulb activity with [14C] 2-DG autoradiography. The results indicate that NE is not necessary for the expression of the learned neurobehavioral response.
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This research was supported by NIDCD Grant DC00480 to R. M. Sullivan and NSF Grant BNS-8819189 to D. A. Wilson. re]19910201
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Sullivan, R.M., Wilson, D.A. The role of norepinephrine in the expression of learned olfactory neurobehavioral responses in infant rats. Psychobiology 19, 308–312 (1991). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03332084
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03332084