Opioid Modulation of Cue-Triggered 'Wanting' in Amygdala

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The aim of this proposal is to explore the involvement of mu opioid receptors (MORs) in the amygdala on the attribution of incentive motivation to natural reward-associated cues. Preliminary results indicate that infusion of the specific MOR agonist DAMGO (0.1 mu g) into the amygdala increases feeding behavior in female rats. Additionally, we found that DAMGO administered prior to each of the first six days of autoshaping training increases approaches to one of two reward associated cues, depending on individual differences between rats in 'preferred' cue. In the proposed experiments, we first seek to determine the dose dependency and MOR mediation of these enhancements in CS+ approach behavior. Second, we seek to determine whether observed appetitive effects of CeA DAMGO are specific to the amygdala. Third, we seek to determine whether individual differences in pre-autoshaping anxiety, exploratory, and reward sensitivity are related to individual differences observed in autoshaping. This project is relevant to understanding the neural substrates of, and role of individual differences in human appetitive disorders such as addiction and obesity.