Dopamine receptor antagonists impair place conditioning after acute stress in rats

An immediate and robust release of dopamine appears in the brain under an acute stressor, but the functional role of dopamine under stress remains elusive. We recently showed conditioned place preference (CPP) induced by the acute application of a stressor such as being placed on an elevated stand or immobilized in a restraint holder. This study tested whether dopamine is involved in such CPP. The selective dopamine D1 and D2 receptor antagonists, SCH23390 and raclopride, respectively, were injected before stressor manipulation. The doses of SCH23390 (0.025 and 0.05 mg/kg) and raclopride (0.05 and 0.1 mg/kg) used to test for stressor-induced CPP were verified to be ineffective on spontaneous locomotor activity. The results showed that both drugs attenuated the development of stressor-induced CPP. Such a CPP blocking effect by pretreatment of dopamine receptor antagonist was true for either kind of stressor manipulated. These findings indicate that an acute stressor can facilitate a follow-up place conditioning, and that dopamine is involved in the present type of CPP formation.