Increased locomotor activity in estrogen-treated ovariectomized rats is associated with nucleus accumbens dopamine and is not reduced by dietary sodium deprivation

Integrative Zoology
Enith Espinosa, Kathleen S Curtis

Abstract

Estrogens are well known to increase locomotor activity in laboratory rodents; however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. We used voluntary wheel running by female rats as an index of locomotor behavior to investigate this issue. We first determined whether the estrogen-induced increase in locomotion was susceptible to inhibition by a physiological challenge, and next whether it was associated with dopaminergic activation in the central reward area, nucleus accumbens. Ovariectomized rats were given estradiol or the oil vehicle and housed in cages with or without running wheels. All rats were given regular rodent chow for 1 week, a sodium-deficient diet for the next week, and then were returned to a regular diet for another week. At the end of the last week, all rats were killed, brains were extracted and dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens were measured. As expected, estradiol treatment increased distance run. Surprisingly, dietary sodium deprivation further increased running, but this appeared to be related to experience with wheel running, rather than to sodium deprivation, per se. Dopamine was greater in the nucleus accumbens of estradiol-treated rats that ran compared to all other groups. Thus, the estrogen-ind...Continue Reading

References

Mar 12, 1990·Brain Research·T R Stratford, D Wirtshafter
Feb 1, 1983·Journal of Applied Physiology: Respiratory, Environmental and Exercise Physiology·V A ConvertinoJ E Greenleaf
Jul 1, 1995·The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology·B E Summer, G Fink
Jan 1, 1996·Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews·K C Berridge
Dec 16, 1998·Animal Behaviour·C M Sherwin
Dec 22, 1998·Brain Research. Brain Research Reviews·K C Berridge, T E Robinson
Aug 9, 2002·American Journal of Physiology. Renal Physiology·Amy J MangrumVictoria F Norwood
Feb 8, 2005·Brain Research·Benjamin N GreenwoodMonika Fleshner
Feb 27, 2008·Neuromolecular Medicine·Benjamin N Greenwood, Monika Fleshner
Feb 17, 2010·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Erin Keen-RhinehartTimothy Bartness
Nov 1, 2006·Expert Review of Endocrinology & Metabolism·Anthony C Hackney
Nov 8, 2011·Behavioural Brain Research·Nobuo IzumoTakayuki Manabe
Feb 23, 2013·Behavioural Brain Research·Takeshi NishijimaIgnacio Torres-Alemán
May 23, 2014·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Johanna H Meijer, Yuri Robbers
Jun 16, 2015·Physiology & Behavior·Kathleen S Curtis
Aug 16, 2015·Cell·Nora D Volkow, Marisela Morales
Nov 22, 2016·Journal of Neuroscience Research·Cheryl S Rosenfeld
Jul 8, 2017·Behavioural Brain Research·Florian KlinkerDavid Liebetanz

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Sep 27, 2018·Integrative Zoology·Mohamed Kabbaj, Zuoxin Wang
Mar 11, 2020·Frontiers in Veterinary Science·Beryl Katharina EusemannStefanie Petow
Oct 30, 2020·Frontiers in Endocrinology·Emese RenczésPeter Celec

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Basal Ganglia

Basal Ganglia are a group of subcortical nuclei in the brain associated with control of voluntary motor movements, procedural and habit learning, emotion, and cognition. Here is the latest research.