Authors: P P Silveira G Cognato L M Crema F Q Pederiva C D Bonan J J Sarkis A B Lucion C Dalmaz
Publish Date: 2006/05/23
Volume: 31, Issue: 5, Pages: 693-698
Abstract
Neonatal handled rats ingest more sweet food than nonhandled ones but it was documented only after puberty Here we studied the purinergic system in the nucleus accumbens a possible target for the alteration in the preference for palatable food We measured the ATP ADP and AMP hydrolysis mediated by ectonucleotidases in synaptosomes of the nucleus accumbens in periadolescent and adult rats from different neonatal environments nonhandled and handled 10 min/day first 10 days of life Before adolescence we found a decreased ingestion of sweet food in the neonatally handled group with no effect on ATP ADP or AMP hydrolysis In adults we found a greater ingestion of sweet food in the neonatally handled group with no effect on ATPase or ADPase activities but a decreased AMP hydrolysis The nucleus accumbens is a site of intensive interaction between the adenosinergic and dopaminergic systems Therefore adenosine may modulate accumbens’ dopamine neurotransmission differently in neonatally handled rats
Keywords: