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At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Operantly conditioned running: effects on brain catecholamine concentrations and receptor densities in the rat.

It was hypothesized that endurance exercise results in an alteration in the brain monoamine systems. Rats were trained to run for food reinforcement on a variable ratio schedule in running wheels. Yoked control rats were also allowed to run but were not specifically reinforced for running. The animals ran 5 days per week for 8 weeks and were sacrificed 48 hours after the last endurance training session. The brains were assayed for norepinephrine and dopamine concentrations and beta-adrenergic (3H-dihydroalprenolol binding) and dopaminergic (3H-spiroperidol binding) receptor densities. Changes in norepinephrine concentration and beta-adrenergic receptor densities were not significantly different between reinforced running and yoked control groups. Dopamine concentrations were significantly higher while dopamine receptor densities were significantly lower in the reinforced running group. These results suggest that chronic running elevates dopamine secretion and consequently produces a compensatory down-regulation of dopaminergic receptor sites. The relationship of these changes to motor activity and to the antidepressant effects of exercise are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Multiple unit response in reward areas during operant conditioning reinforced by lateral hypothalamic stimulation in the rat.

Neural activities of various brain structures were examined during the acquisition and omission of a behavior. Forty-one rats were used. The positive reinforcer was the stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus, the effectiveness of which had been controlled in advance using the self-stimulation procedure. As original training, head movement during the presentation of an auditory signal was rewarded with the stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus. Following the acquisition of the behavior, omission training was given, during which inhibition of head movement was rewarded. In each session, multiple unit activity for 1 sec prior to the onset of the tone was compared with that during 1 sec tone presentation. In both training sessions, increases in unit activity to the tone, associated with the acquisition of the correct response, were found in the dorsomedial thalamus and the ventral tegmentum. In contrast, the neurons in the prefrontal cortex showed an increased response to the tone only during the omission training. These results suggest that the dorsomedial thalamus and the ventral tegmentum are related to the acquisition of the stimulus-reinforcer contingency, while the prefrontal cortex is related to behavioral inhibition in the omission learning.

Animals↗