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Early resource scarcity alters motivation for natural rewards in a sex- and reinforcer-dependent manner

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Abstract

Rationale

Early life adversity impacts reward-related behaviors, including reward seeking for drugs of abuse. However, the effects of early stress on natural rewards, such as food and social rewards, which have strong implications for symptoms of psychiatric conditions such as major depressive disorder (MDD), are understudied. To fill this gap, we used the limited bedding and nesting (LBN) procedure to assess the impact of early resource scarcity on motivational drive for both food and social rewards in rats.

Methods

Male and female Long Evans rats were reared in either an LBN environment, with limited nesting materials and no enrichment, from their postnatal day 2–9 or control environment with ample nesting materials and enrichment. As adults, they were tested for reward-seeking behavior on progressive ratio operant tasks: food reward (sucrose) or social reward (access to a same-sex/age conspecific).

Results

We observed sex differences in the impact of LBN on motivation for natural rewards. In males, LBN increased motivation for both a sucrose and social reward. In females, LBN reduced motivation for sucrose but had no effect on social reward.

Conclusions

These results suggest that the effects of LBN on motivation for natural rewards are both sex- and reinforcer-dependent, with males and females showing differential motivation for food and social rewards following early scarcity. Our previous data revealed an LBN-driven reduction in motivation for morphine in males and no effect in females, highlighting the reinforcer-dependent impact of early resource scarcity on motivated behavior more widely.

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Funding

This work is supported by National Institute of Health grants: DA049837 to D.A.B., DA056534 to D.A.B. and M.E.W., DA046537 to M.E.W, and T32 DA007237 to A.V.W (PI Unterwald), and DA047976 to M.V. This is also funded by a BBRF Young Investigator Grant 28897 to M.V. This work was also supported by a National Science Foundation grant IOS1929829 to D.A.B.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA

    Alexia V. Williams, James Flowers, Kennedy S. Coates, Atiba Ingram, Alexandra T. Hehn, Molly Dupuis, Mathieu E. Wimmer & Debra A. Bangasser

  2. Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA

    Marco Venniro

  3. Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, GA, 30303-5030, Atlanta, USA

    Debra A. Bangasser

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  1. Alexia V. Williams
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Correspondence to Debra A. Bangasser.

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Williams, A.V., Flowers, J., Coates, K.S. et al. Early resource scarcity alters motivation for natural rewards in a sex- and reinforcer-dependent manner. Psychopharmacology 239, 3929–3937 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-022-06264-9

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