Roles
Loren M. Deron: Class of 2012
Chelsea R. Kasten: Class of 2011
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-2011
Department 1
Psychology
Abstract
The effects of the selective 5HT1A agonist 8-OH-DPAT were assessed on the play behavior of juvenile rats. When both rats of the test pair were comparably motivated to play, the only significant effect of 8-OH-DPAT was for play to be reduced at higher doses. When there was a baseline asymmetry in playful solicitation due to a differential motivation to play and only one rat of the pair was treated, low doses of 8-OH-DPAT resulted in a collapse of asymmetry in playful solicitations. It did not matter whether the rat that was treated initially accounted for more nape contacts or fewer nape contacts, the net effect of 8-OH-DPAT in this model was for low doses of 8-OH-DPAT to decrease a pre-established asymmetry in play solicitation. It is concluded that selective stimulation of 5HT1A receptors changes the dynamic of a playful interaction between two participants that are differentially motivated to play. These results are discussed within a broader framework of serotonergic involvement in mammalian playfulness.
Copyright Note
This is the author's version of the work. This publication appears in Gettysburg College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution.
DOI
10.1016/j.dcn.2011.07.002
Recommended Citation
Siviy, Stephen M., Loren M. Deron, and Chelsea R. Kasten. "Serotonin, motivation, and playfulness in the juvenile rat." Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience 1.4 (2011): 606-616. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2011.07.002
Included in
Behavioral Neurobiology Commons, Biological Psychology Commons, Cognitive Neuroscience Commons, Developmental Neuroscience Commons