Dopamine Receptor Blockade in the Nucleus Accumbens Inhibits Maternal Retrieval and Licking, but Enhances Nursing Behavior in Lactating Rats

• Published in: Physiology & behavior Vol. 67; no. 5; pp. 659 - 669
• Main Authors: Keer, S.E, Stern, J.M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Elsevier Inc 01-11-1999; New York, NY Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Behavioral psychophysiology; Benzazepines - administration & dosage; Benzazepines - pharmacology; Biological and medical sciences; Catalepsy - chemically induced; Catalepsy - psychology; Dopamine Antagonists - administration & dosage; Dopamine Antagonists - pharmacology; Dopamine D2 Receptor Antagonists; Dorsomedial striatum; Female; flupenthixol; Flupenthixol - pharmacology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Injections, Intraventricular; Lactation - physiology; Maternal behavior; Maternal Behavior - drug effects; Mesolimbic dopamine system; Microinjections; Motor Activity - drug effects; Neostriatum - anatomy & histology; Neostriatum - physiology; Neurotransmission and behavior; Nigrostriatal dopamine system; Nucleus Accumbens - anatomy & histology; Nucleus Accumbens - drug effects; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Rats; Rats, Long-Evans; Receptors, Dopamine D1 - antagonists & inhibitors; Stereotaxic Techniques; Ventral striatum; Mesolimbic dopamine system; Maternal behavior; Nigrostriatal dopamine system; Ventral striatum; Dorsomedial striatum; Parental care; Parental behavior; Rat; Dopamine receptor; Rodentia; Central nervous system; Basal ganglion; Licking behavior; Dose activity relation; Nucleus accumbens; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Animal; Female; Antagonist; Brain (vertebrata)
• ISSN: 0031-9384; 1873-507X
• DOI: 10.1016/S0031-9384(99)00116-X

Maternal behaviors were recorded in rats after a 4-h dam–litter separation and intracranial microinfusion of saline on Day 6 postpartum or
cis-flupenthixol (FLU), a dopamine (DA) receptor antagonist, on Days 7–9, within the nucleus accumbens (NA) or dorsomedial striatum (DMS) bilaterally (5, 10, or 20 μ/μL/side), or the lateral ventricle (LV) unilaterally (20 or 40 μ/μL). The number of pups retrieved was inhibited in a dosage-dependent manner by FLU within the NA, but not in other sites. Pup retrieval did not occur within 5 min after 20 μg FLU in five out of nine NA dams; only in these dams did infusions include the shell region of the NA. Duration of pup licking was dose dependently decreased by FLU, the most within the NA, and to a lesser extent within the DMS. Nursing behavior in the kyphotic (upright, dorsally arched) posture, initiated in the absence of pup retrieval by placing the dam over the gathered pups, was not inhibited by intracranial FLU in any site assessed, but rather lasted longer after FLU in NA dams. These various effects of FLU, especially in NA, may be related to modest increases in catalepsy.