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We recently investigated the effects of the noradrenergic antidepressant reboxetine and the antipsychotic amisulpride compared to placebo on neural correlates of primary reinforcers by visual erotic stimulation in healthy subjects. Whereas, amisulpride left subjective sexual functions and corresponding neural activations unimpaired, attenuated neural activations were observed under reboxetine within the nucleus accumbens (Nacc) along with diminished behavioral sexual functioning. However, a global dampening of the reward system under reboxetine seemed not intuitive considering the complementary role of the noradrenergic to the dopamine system in reward-related learning mediated by prediction error processing. We therefore investigated the sample of 17 healthy males in a mean age of 23.8 years again by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), to explore the noradrenergic effects on neural reward prediction error signaling. Participants took reboxetine (4 mg/d), amisulpride (200 mg/d), and placebo each for 7 days within a randomized, double-blind, within-subject cross-over design. During fMRI, we used an established monetary incentive task to assess neural reward expectation and prediction error signals within the bilateral Nacc using an independent anatomical mask for a region of interest (ROI) analysis. Activations within the same ROI were also assessed for the erotic picture paradigm. We confirmed our previous results from the whole brain analysis for the selected ROI by significant (p < 0.05 FWE-corrected) attenuated activations within the Nacc during visual sexual stimulation under reboxetine compared to placebo. However, activations in the Nacc concerning prediction error processing and monetary reward expectation were unimpaired under reboxetine compared to placebo, along with unimpaired reaction times in the reward task. For both tasks, neural activations and behavioral processing were not altered by amisulpride compared to placebo. The observed attenuated neural activations within the Nacc during visual erotic stimulation along with unimpaired neural prediction error and monetary reward expectation processing provide evidence for a differential modulation of the neural reward system by the noradrenergic agent reboxetine depending on the presence of primary reinforcers such as erotic stimuli in contrast to secondary such as monetary rewards.

We recently investigated the effects of the noradrenergic antidepressant reboxetine and the antipsychotic amisulpride compared to placebo on neural correlates of primary reinforcers by visual erotic stimulation in healthy subjects. Whereas, amisulpride left subjective sexual functions and corresponding neural activations unimpaired, attenuated neural activations were observed under reboxetine within the nucleus accumbens (Nacc) along with diminished behavioral sexual functioning. However, a global dampening of the reward system under reboxetine seemed not intuitive considering the complementary role of the noradrenergic to the dopamine system in reward-related learning mediated by prediction error processing. We therefore investigated the sample of 17 healthy males in a mean age of 23.8 years again by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), to explore the noradrenergic effects on neural reward prediction error signaling. Participants took reboxetine (4 mg/d), amisulpride (200 mg/d), and placebo each for 7 days within a randomized, double-blind, within-subject cross-over design. During fMRI, we used an established monetary incentive task to assess neural reward expectation and prediction error signals within the bilateral Nacc using an independent anatomical mask for a region of interest (ROI) analysis. Activations within the same ROI were also assessed for the erotic picture paradigm. We confirmed our previous results from the whole brain analysis for the selected ROI by significant (p < 0.05 FWE-corrected) attenuated activations within the Nacc during visual sexual stimulation under reboxetine compared to placebo. However, activations in the Nacc concerning prediction error processing and monetary reward expectation were unimpaired under reboxetine compared to placebo, along with unimpaired reaction times in the reward task. For both tasks, neural activations and behavioral processing were not altered by amisulpride compared to placebo. The observed attenuated neural activations within the Nacc during visual erotic stimulation along with unimpaired neural prediction error and monetary reward expectation processing provide evidence for a differential modulation of the neural reward system by the noradrenergic agent reboxetine depending on the presence of primary reinforcers such as erotic stimuli in contrast to secondary such as monetary rewards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Exposure to environmental cues is considered a major cause of relapse in detoxified addicts. Recent findings showed an involvement of glutamate in cue-induced relapse and suggest that subtype 5 of metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR5) is involved in conditioned drug-reward. The present study applied the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm to examine the involvement of mGluR5 in cocaine- and morphine-induced behaviours. Results of previous mice-studies were extended into rats by using the selective mGluR5 antagonist 2-methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)pyridine (MPEP). As a result, the evaluated behavioural parameters were dose-relatedly affected by MPEP. Low-dosed MPEP (10 mg/kg, i.p.) did not affect spontaneous locomotion, reduced cocaine-induced hyperlocomotion and produced sensitized locomotion, while showing no effect on sensitized locomotion induced by repeated cocaine or morphine. Low-dosed MPEP did not genuinely block development of cocaine- and morphine-CPP, but rendered CPP expression state-dependent. The medium MPEP-dose (30 mg/kg) was most effective in reducing spontaneous locomotion. The high MPEP-dose (50 mg/kg) was most effective in reducing both body-weight and morphine-CPP expression. Cocaine-CPP expression was not affected by any MPEP-dose. In conclusion, mGluR5 are involved in modulation of spontaneous and cocaine-induced locomotion, in state-dependent learning and in expression of morphine-CPP. Thus, MPEP may be beneficial for relapse prevention in morphine-addicts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract This study used in vivo microdialysis to examine the release of dopamine (DA) in the nucleus accumbens (nAc) during the performance of a previously learned, signalled sucrose reward task, and during conditioning of a neutral tone stimulus to this reward. Behavioural measures (magazine entries) confirmed that stimuli associated with sucrose presentation became secondary rewarding stimuli, and DA release was also monitored during subsequent presentation of these stimuli alone. Perhaps surprisingly, during magazine entry for consumption of sucrose, i.e. in conditions similar to routine training, dialysate DA levels in the nAc did not increase. In contrast, during conditioning of the tone with light-sucrose, dopamine levels increased consistently and significantly. Interestingly, DA levels were somewhat, but significantly, increased when tone alone was presented in a test session, i.e. two hours after conditioning, and even more so when tone was combined with the light previously associated with sucrose. In this latter case the number of magazine entries increased to a level similar to that seen during conditioning. Presentation of light alone resulted in a similar level of magazine entries to tone alone, but no significant increase in DA. In summary, these studies confirm that a neutral stimulus can acquire the behavioural properties of reward when conditioned. The neurochemical data, on the other hand, suggest that increases of DA in nAc are more likely to be related to new associative learning than to established incentive or consumatory processes. The increase in DA release in the test session may be related either to the secondary reinforcing properties acquired by the stimulus, or to the change in contingencies, or to the aversive effects of the omission of reward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]