6-Hydroxydopamine reduces preference for conspecific but not other familiar odors in rat pups

Rat pups injected subcutaneously with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) showed reduced preference for a familiar combination of conspecific and botanical odors when subsequently tested in a two-choice situation. However, drug treatment did not influence preference for the simple botanical odor. 6-OHDA also reduced norepinephrine (NE) concentrations in the forebrain and the olfactory bulbs. The data implicate NE in the ontogeny of the acquired responses to conspecific odors.