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Full-Text Articles in Behavioral Neurobiology
Dysfunctional Play And Dopamine Physiology In The Fischer 344 Rat, Stephen M. Siviy, Cynthia A. Crawford, Garnik Akopian, John P. Walsh
Dysfunctional Play And Dopamine Physiology In The Fischer 344 Rat, Stephen M. Siviy, Cynthia A. Crawford, Garnik Akopian, John P. Walsh
Psychology Faculty Publications
Juvenile Fischer 344 rats are known to be less playful than other inbred strains, although the neurobiological substrate(s) responsible for this phenotype is uncertain. In the present study, Fischer 344 rats were compared to the commonly used outbred Sprague-Dawley strain on several behavioral and physiological parameters in order to ascertain whether the lack of play may be related to compromised activity of brain dopamine (DA) systems. As expected, Fischer 344 rats were far less playful than Sprague-Dawley rats, with Fischer 344 rats less likely to initiate playful contacts with a playful partner and less likely to respond playfully to these …
The Role Of Dopamine In Operant Learning And Memory, Jennifer Leigh Johnson
The Role Of Dopamine In Operant Learning And Memory, Jennifer Leigh Johnson
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that regulates many physiological processes including reward, motivation, movement, learning and memory, and reinforcement. The cognitive processes in which one associates a specific action or behavior with a positive or negative consequence is referred to as operant learning, and is a robust occurrence in everyday life. It is also believed to play a significant role in the development of drug addiction and has been shown that increased levels of dopamine are associated with the intake of addictive drugs such as cocaine and alcohol; however, the underlying cellular mechanisms of this learned behavior are not well understood. …