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Dopamine D1 and μ-opioid receptor antagonism blocks anticipatory 50 kHz ultrasonic vocalizations induced by palatable food cues in Wistar rats

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Abstract

Rationale

Fifty kilohertz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) have been sometimes shown to reflect positive affective-like states in rats. Rewarding events, such as access to palatable food or drugs of abuse, increase the number of anticipatory 50-kHz USVs. However, little is known about the predictability of USVs, subtypes of USVs involved, and underlying neurobiological mechanisms.

Objectives

We examined whether cue-induced anticipatory 50-kHz USVs predict palatable food intake and tested the effects of dopamine D1 and μ-opioid receptor antagonism on anticipatory USVs.

Materials

Food-restricted rats received repeated sessions of a 2-min cue light immediately followed by a 5-min access to palatable food. Ultrasonic vocalizations were recorded during cue presentation. After 24 pairing sessions, the rats were pretreated with the D1 receptor antagonist SCH 23390 (5, 10, and 20 μg/kg) and μ-opioid receptor antagonist naltrexone (0.03, 0.06, 0.13, 0.25, 0.5, and 1 mg/kg) in a Latin-square design, and USVs were recorded during cue presentation.

Results

Rats emitted 50-kHz USVs during cue presentation, and the number of USVs increased across sessions with robust and stable interindividual differences. Escalation in USVs was subtype-dependent, with nontrill calls significantly increasing over time. Palatable food intake was positively correlated with anticipatory 50-kHz USVs. Moreover, anticipatory USVs were dose-dependently prevented by antagonism of D1 and μ-opioid receptors.

Conclusions

These findings demonstrate that anticipatory 50-kHz USVs represent a stable phenotype of increased motivation for food, and dopamine and opioid systems appear to mediate anticipatory 50-kHz USVs.

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Acknowledgements

This is publication number 24014 from The Scripps Research Institute. Research was financially supported by National Institutes of Health grants DA004398 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and AA006420 from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Research was also supported by the Pearson Center for Alcoholism and Addiction Research. The authors would like to thank Michael Arends for proofreading the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, SP30-2400, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA

    Cara L. Buck, Leandro F. Vendruscolo, George F. Koob & Olivier George

  2. Department of Psychology, University of California, 9500 Gilman Dr. M/C 0109, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA

    Cara L. Buck

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  1. Cara L. Buck
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  2. Leandro F. Vendruscolo
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  3. George F. Koob
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  4. Olivier George
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Correspondence to Cara L. Buck.

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Buck, C.L., Vendruscolo, L.F., Koob, G.F. et al. Dopamine D1 and μ-opioid receptor antagonism blocks anticipatory 50 kHz ultrasonic vocalizations induced by palatable food cues in Wistar rats. Psychopharmacology 231, 929–937 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-013-3307-2

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