Appetitive 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations in rats and their biopsychological analysis in sender and recipient

啮齿动物，如大鼠和小鼠，最常作为动物研究的对象，使用所谓的超声波发声。这些发声可以指示其情绪和动机状态，并诱导其同种接受者的大脑和行为的信号特异性变化。在这个项目中，将研究大鼠50 kHz叫声的食欲效应，这在功能上与神经递质多巴胺有关。通过结合特定的行为测试（特别是播放50 kHz的电话）和免疫组织化学，电生理学和精神药理学技术，关键的机制将被调查，这可能是这些电话的食欲质量急性和习惯后，他们反复暴露。在这里，我们将特别关注丘脑背核，因为这个结构在这些叫声和动机行为的神经生物学中起着重要作用。预期的结果将是重要的基础研究，但也为应用大鼠超声发声在人类精神疾病模型。

Rodents, like rats and mice, which serve most often as subjects in animal research, vocalize using so-called ultrasonic vocalizations. These vocalizations may indicate their emotional and motivational status and induce signal-specific changes in brain and behavior of their conspecific recipients. In this project, the appetitive effect of rat 50-kHz calls will be investigated, which is functionally related to the neurotransmitter dopamine. By combining specific behavioral tests (especially playback of 50-kHz calls) and immunohistochemical, electrophysiological, and psychopharmacological techniques, critical mechanisms will be investigated, which may underlie the appetitive quality of these calls acutely and the habituation to them after repeated exposure. Here, the nucleus accumbens will receive specific attention, since this structure plays an important role in these calls and in the neurobiology of motivated behavior. The expected results will be important in terms of basic research but also for the application of rat ultrasonic vocalizations in models of human psychiatric diseases.