Sex differences in effort-related decision-making: role of dopamine D2 receptor antagonism.

Rationale: Depressed individuals demonstrate debilitating symptoms, including depressed mood, anhedonia, and effort-related deficits. Effort-related decision-making can be measured through providing subjects with a choice between high effort/reward and low effort/reward options, which is a dopamine (DA)-dependent behavior. While previous research has shown sex differences in depression rates, this has not been examined within operant-based effort-related decision-making tasks nor has DA been shown to underlie this behavior in female rats.

Interaction of stress and stimulants in female rats: Role of chronic stress on later reactivity to methamphetamine.

Previous research in humans and animals suggests that prior exposure to stress alters responsivity to drugs of abuse, including psychostimulants. Male rats show an augmented striatal dopamine response to methamphetamine following exposure to chronic unpredictable stress (CUS). Compared to males, female rats have been shown to be highly sensitive to the effects of stimulants and stress independently, however few studies have examined the interaction between stress and stimulants in female rats.

Social anxiety and employment interviews: does nonverbal feedback differentially predict cortisol and performance?

Background & Objectives: Interviewers often provide positive nonverbal feedback to reduce interviewees' anxiety. Socially anxious individuals typically harbor negative self-views discrepant with positive feedback. We examined whether nonverbal feedback and social anxiety jointly influence cortisol responses to, and performance during, interviews.

Social isolation alters central nervous system monoamine content in prairie voles following acute restraint.

Animal models have shown that social isolation and other forms of social stress lead to depressive- and anxiety-relevant behaviors, as well as neuroendocrine and physiological dysfunction. The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of prior social isolation on neurotransmitter content following acute restraint in prairie voles. Animals were either paired with a same-sex sibling or isolated for 4 weeks.

Persistent behavioral and neurochemical sensitization to an acute injection of methamphetamine following unpredictable stress.

Prior research in humans and animals suggest that exposure to chronic stress alters the response to drugs of abuse, increasing vulnerability to drug addiction. Chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) has been shown to augment the increase of dopamine in the striatum when challenged with high doses of methamphetamine immediately following stress exposure, however it is not known whether this neurochemical stress-sensitization continues after the cessation of the stressors or if behavioral sensitization is also present. Therefore, the current study examined the immediate and delayed effects of CUS on methamphetamine-induced behaviors and striatal dopamine levels.

Neurochemical and behavioral effects of chronic unpredictable stress.

Chronic stress can influence behaviors associated with medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) function, such as cognition and emotion regulation. Dopamine in the mPFC is responsive to stress and modulates its behavioral effects. The current study tested whether exposure to 10 days of chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) altered the effects of acute elevation stress on dopamine release in the mPFC and on spatial recognition memory.

Juvenile but not adult methamphetamine exposure improves performance in the Morris Water Maze in male rats.

Early exposure to psychostimulants has been found to lead to long-lasting effects on cognitive processes. Our lab has previously reported that juvenile male rats administered methamphetamine showed improved performance in a spatial navigation task when tested in adulthood (McFadden and Matuszewich, 2007). What is not known, however, is if these effects are specific to the developing rat, or if a similar methamphetamine protocol given to adult rats would lead to an equally beneficial long-term change in spatial cognition.

Juvenile exposure to methamphetamine attenuates behavioral and neurochemical responses to methamphetamine in adult rats.

Previous research has shown that children living in clandestine methamphetamine (MA) labs are passively exposed to the drug [1]. The long-term effects of this early exposure on the dopaminergic systems are unknown, but may be important for adult behaviors mediated by dopamine, such as drug addiction. The current study sought to determine if juvenile exposure to low doses of MA would lead to altered responsiveness to the stimulant in adulthood.

Alterations in adult behavioral responses to cocaine and dopamine transporters following juvenile exposure to methamphetamine.

The present experiment assessed whether preadolescent exposure to methamphetamine would alter adult behavioral responses to cocaine and dopamine transporter immunoreactivity in the striatum of male and female rats. Juvenile rats were injected once daily with 0 or 2 mg/kg methamphetamine from postnatal days 21 to 35 and tested in adulthood. Male rats, but not female rats, exposed to methamphetamine showed an increase in responsiveness to cocaine in the open field and an increase in dopamine transporter immunoreactivity in the striatum.

Hormonal changes and couple bonding in consensual sadomasochistic activity.

In two studies, 58 sadomasochistic (SM) practitioners provided physiological measures of salivary cortisol and testosterone (hormones associated with stress and dominance, respectively) and psychological measures of relationship closeness before and after participating in SM activities. Observed activities included bondage, sensory deprivation, a variety of painful and pleasurable stimulation, verbal and non-verbal communication, and expressions of caring and affection. During the scenes, cortisol rose significantly for participants who were bound, receiving stimulation, and following orders, but not for participants who were providing stimulation, orders, or structure.

The effects of methamphetamine exposure during preadolescence on male and female rats in the water maze.

Exposure to methamphetamine early in life can have lasting effects on cognitive processes. The maturation of neurotransmitter systems targeted by methamphetamine differs by gender during childhood and preadolescence, which could lead to differential long-term effects of early drug exposure. Therefore, the current study assessed whether preadolescent exposure to methamphetamine has gender specific long-term effects on adult spatial memory in rodents.

The delayed effects of chronic unpredictable stress on anxiety measures.

Previous research has found that exposure to unpredictable stress can augment anxiety in humans and animals. The appearance of anxiety symptoms in humans frequently develop after stress exposure has terminated, but few rodent studies have systematically examined the delayed anxiogenic effects of unpredictable stress. Therefore, the current study investigated whether anxiety-like behaviors in rats would increase at several time intervals following exposure to chronic unpredictable stress (CUS).

The effects of chronic unpredictable stress on male rats in the water maze.

Exposure to chronic stress can affect cognitive processes in a complex manner depending upon the intensity and duration of the stressors. The current study investigated the effects of chronic unpredictable stress (CUS), a procedure thought to use moderate stressors, on acquisition of and performance in the Morris Water Maze (MWM). Separate behavioral tests were also used to determine whether the stress-induced changes in MWM were due to general changes in locomotor activity or preference for a rewarding stimulus.

Effects of chronic stress on methamphetamine-induced dopamine depletions in the striatum.

Research has shown that exposure to repeated stress alters acute behavioral and neurochemical responses to drugs of abuse. However, few studies have characterized the longer-term detrimental effects of psychostimulant drugs such as methamphetamine (METH) after exposure to chronic stress. The current study tested whether 10 days of unpredictable stress produced greater striatal dopamine depletions after neurotoxic injections of METH and whether monoamine reuptake blockers protected against stress/METH-induced DA depletion.

Long-lasting effects of chronic stress on DOI-induced hyperthermia in male rats.

Rationale: Exposure to chronic stress can affect the serotoninergic (5-HT) system and behavioral measures associated with 5-HT. Repeated stress increases 5-HT receptor subtype 2 (5-HT2) mediated behaviors in rodents, such as wet dog shakes and head twitch.

Objectives: The current study investigated whether exposure to chronic unpredictable stress would augment 5-HT(2A/C) receptor-mediated hyperthermia.