Abstract
There is a significant difference between the Lewis and Fischer 344 rats regarding their propensity to self-administer drugs of abuse. This study compares the number and the firing pattern of spontaneously active dopamine (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNC) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) in these two strains of rats. This was accomplished using the technique of in vivo extracellular recording. The number of spontaneously active DA neurons in the SNC and VTA of the Lewis rat were significantly lower compared to that of the F344 rats. Furthermore, a greater percentage of SNC and VTA DA neurons in the Lewis rats exhibited a burst firing pattern compared to F344 rats. These findings indicate that F344 and Lewis rats possess differences in mesolimbic DA neuronal activity and this may be a factor in explaining the different propensities between the two strains to self-administer drugs.
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