Exploratory behaviour after intra-accumbens histamine and/or histamine antagonists injection in the rat

Abstract

The possible role of histamine locally applied into the nucleus accumbens on exploratory behaviours measured in 'conflictive' and 'non-conflictive' environments was studied in adult male rats. It was assumed that in conflictive environments the brain mechanisms involved in processing incentive environmental clues (novelty) were interacting with mechanisms involved in the processing of fearful or 'anxiogenic' environmental clues. As a model of conflictive environment, the elevated asymmetric-plus maze (APM) was used. As a model of a non-conflictive environment, a modified holebroad enriched with an object (OVM) was used. The exploration score in any of the arms of the APM was considered an approximate index of exploratory motivation. The permanency score (non-exploratory behaviours) was considered an inverse approximate index of emotionality. Other variables such as the frequency of entries into any arm, the latency time and central activity were also measured. In the OVM, the general motor activity and head-dipping, vertical rearing and focalized exploration were measured. Results show that histamine in the APM had a dual effect. On the one hand, an increase of exploration was observed in those arms considered more 'anxiogenic'. On the other hand, a decrease in exploration occurred in one of the arms considered less 'anxiogenic'. No changes of permanency was observed in the 'anxiogenic' arms, and a decrease of permanency took place in the arms considered less 'anxiogenic'. In the OVM, histamine did not change the overall motor activity, but head-dipping was inhibited by the imidazolamine treatment. Histamine effects on exploration parameters were counteracted by pre-treatment with H1- and H2-histamine antagonists. Nevertheless, some behaviours were not blocked by the histamine receptor antagonists. The present results give support to the role of the nucleus accumbens in the exploratory motivation mechanisms and suggest that histamine might be an endogenous regulator.