Deletion of the rat trpc4 gene and its influence on motivated responding for natural reward

Abstract

TRPC4 ion channels are expressed extensively in corticolimbic brain regions and a subpopulation of midbrain dopamine neurons. TRPC4 knockout (KO) rats show reduced sociability and social exploration, but show no differences in simple and complex strategic learning compared to normal wild type (WT) rats. Using water reward, we found no differences between TRPC4-KO and WT rats in the break point on a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement. Although deletion of the trpc4 gene alters social interaction/anxiety it does not appear to affect motivation for natural rewards. Current experiments are underway testing the role of trpc4 gene deletion on cocaine reward (see www.neuro-cloud.net/nature-precedings/klipec3 for updates and collaborations).