Ultrasounds emitted by female rats during agonistic interactions: effects of morphine and naltrexone

Ultrasonic vocalizations may be an expression of the affective pain response in laboratory rodents. The present experiment compared morphine's effects on high (33-60 kHz) and low (20-32 kHz) frequency ultrasonic vocalizations to its effects on a range of unconditioned behavioral responses to aversive stimuli; the influence of estrous cyclicity on morphine sensitivity was also investigated. In experiment 1, naive female Long-Evans rats, selected during estrus or diestrus, received cumulative morphine (1, 3, 6, 10 mg/kg SC) or saline, and in experiment 2, rats were pretreated with naltrexone (0.1 mg/kg IP) 5 min before morphine (17, 30, 60, 100 mg/kg SC). The following endopoints were measured 20-25 min post-injection: (1) tail flick latency; (2) ultrasonic and audible vocalizations; (3) the behavioral response to aggressive attack; and (4) locomotor activity. Following a brief exposure to an attack, rats were threatened by an aggressor but protected from further attack by a wire mesh cage (30 x 21.5 x 20 cm), thereby allowing for continued behavioral and vocal measurement without the risk of physical injury; video and audio recordings were made of the attack encounter and a subset of the protected encounter (1 min). The endpoint most potently and specifically modulated by morphine was high frequency ultrasounds. The rate of high frequency calling varied as a function of the estrous cycle, supporting gonadal hormone modulation of ultrasonic vocalizations. Low frequency ultrasounds, by contrast, were relatively insensitive to opiate manipulation and were less influenced by estrous cyclicity. High frequency vocalizations may be a more sensitive indication of the affective response to an attacking conspecific that low frequency calls.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)