Random bits of knowledge from SfN 2010 so far…
1. Effect of sex and dose in selecting food or cocaine (Ballis): Male rats will administer cocaine more, but females will choose cocaine more often when given the choice between food and cocaine. However, ovariectomized females will not choose cocaine over food. Therefore, as a result of ovarian hormones, female rats place a higher value on cocaine and food relative to males. I always suspected that our female condition renders us susceptible.
2. Effect of binge drinking during adolescence on anxiety related behavior in adulthood (Karanikas): Binge drinking during an overnight period or a 2-week period has a relatively small effect on anxiety and locomotor activity in adulthood.
3. Examination of addictive behavior in rats selectively bred for response to novelty (Flagel): These high-responding (HR) animals are the model for an addictive personality and exhibit: increased locomotor activity, increased risk-taking behavior, increased susceptibility to be controlled by reward-related cues, increased impulsivity, increased aggression, and dopamine (DA) system hypersensitivity.
4. Dissociation of attention and emotion-related neural activity in the nuclei of the primate amygdala (Mosher): The centromedial nuclei of the amygdala are involved in allocating attention to stimuli (task-related) while the basolateral nuclei are involved primarily in evaluation emotional significance of stimuli (stimulus-selective).
