Neonatal basal forebrain cholinergic hypofunction affects ultrasonic vocalizations and fear conditioning responses in preweaning rats

Behav Brain Res. 2007 Oct 1;183(1):111-7. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2007.05.035. Epub 2007 Jun 2.

Abstract

The present study investigated the effects of intracebroventricular injections of 192 IgG-saporin in 7-day-old rats on (i) ultrasound vocalizations (USVs) on postnatal day (pnd) 13 following isolation and reunion with the mother and (ii) fear conditioning on pnd 18-19 recording both freezing and other behavioural responses as well as USVs. On pnd 13 lesioned and control pups showed comparable USV baseline values; a brief reunion with the mother induced a significant increase in USVs in all rats (maternal potentiation). On pnd 18, during the fear conditioning training, 192 IgG-saporin rats emitted a lower number of USVs. On pnd 19 all rats showed a stronger conditioned response (with full inhibition of locomotion) to auditory than to contextual cues. Surprisingly, lesioned rats showed a stronger fear-conditioned response to contextual cues than controls. These results suggest that early selective removal of the cholinergic basal forebrain paradoxically enhances hippocampally dependent fear-conditioned responses on pnd 19.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Animals, Newborn
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / pharmacology
  • Association Learning / drug effects
  • Association Learning / physiology
  • Avoidance Learning / drug effects
  • Avoidance Learning / physiology
  • Choline O-Acetyltransferase / metabolism
  • Cholinergic Agents / pharmacology
  • Cholinergic Fibers / drug effects
  • Cholinergic Fibers / physiology*
  • Conditioning, Classical / drug effects
  • Conditioning, Classical / physiology*
  • Fear / drug effects
  • Fear / physiology*
  • Female
  • Hippocampus / drug effects
  • Hippocampus / metabolism
  • Immunotoxins / pharmacology
  • Male
  • Maternal Deprivation
  • N-Glycosyl Hydrolases / pharmacology
  • Neocortex / drug effects
  • Neocortex / metabolism
  • Prosencephalon / cytology
  • Prosencephalon / drug effects
  • Prosencephalon / physiology*
  • Random Allocation
  • Rats
  • Rats, Wistar
  • Ribosome Inactivating Proteins, Type 1
  • Saporins
  • Stress, Psychological / physiopathology
  • Ultrasonics
  • Vocalization, Animal / drug effects
  • Vocalization, Animal / physiology*

Substances

  • 192 IgG-saporin
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Cholinergic Agents
  • Immunotoxins
  • Ribosome Inactivating Proteins, Type 1
  • Choline O-Acetyltransferase
  • N-Glycosyl Hydrolases
  • Saporins