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Differential effects of diazepam infused into the amygdala and hippocampus on negative contrast.

Ruey-Ming Liao¹, Feng-Jung Chuang

¹Department of Psychology, National Cheng-Chi University, Taipei 116, Taiwan, ROC. rmliao@nccu.edu.tw

Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior

|April 2, 2003

Summary

Benzodiazepines, like diazepam, help animals recover from negative reward contrast. This study found the amygdala, a brain region, is key to diazepam

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Behavioral Pharmacology
Animal Behavior

Background:

Behavioral suppression occurs when reward magnitude decreases, a phenomenon known as negative contrast.
Systemic benzodiazepine administration has been previously shown to alleviate negative contrast effects.
The specific neural mechanisms underlying benzodiazepine-induced recovery from negative contrast remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the limbic neural substrates responsible for diazepam's recovery effects on negative contrast.
To determine if the amygdala or hippocampus mediates the anti-contrast effects of diazepam.

Main Methods:

Food-deprived rats underwent a negative contrast procedure, shifting from 32% to 4% sucrose, compared to a control group receiving only 4% sucrose.

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Negative contrast was quantified by measuring lick frequency.

Diazepam was administered systemically and locally infused into the amygdala and hippocampus.

Main Results:

Vehicle-treated control groups exhibited significant negative contrast effects, indicated by reduced licks.
Systemic diazepam administration dose-dependently attenuated the negative contrast.
Local infusion of diazepam into the amygdala significantly reduced negative contrast, while hippocampal infusion had no effect.

Conclusions:

Diazepam administration, both systemically and locally into the amygdala, reliably induces anti-contrast effects.
These findings implicate the amygdala as a critical neural substrate involved in benzodiazepine-mediated recovery from consummatory negative contrast.