Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38842701›Full record

ArticlePsychopharmacology2024

Pharmacological characterization of sex differences in the effects of dopaminergic drugs on effort-based decision making in rats.

Alev Ecevitoglu, Kathryn R Beard, Sonia Srynath, Gayle A Edelstein, Regulo Olivares-Garcia, Andrea Martinez-Verdu, Nicolette Meka, Merce Correa, John D Salamone

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Psychopharmacology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Effort, timing and choice: a refined rodent effort choice task with excellent sensitivity to dopamine modulators.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Alev Ecevitoglu *Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
Kathryn R Beard *Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
Sonia Srynath *Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
Gayle A EdelsteinDepartment of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
Regulo Olivares-GarciaDepartment of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
Andrea Martinez-VerduDepartment of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
Nicolette MekaDepartment of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
Merce CorreaDepartment of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
John D SalamoneDepartment of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA. john.salamone@uconn.edu.

Funding

Physiological markers of forebrain circuit engagement regulating effort-based decision making.R01MH121350 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT STORRS · PI SALAMONE, JOHN D · 2019 to 2021
$1.2M
Institute for Brain and Cognitive Sciences Institute for Brain and Cognitive SciencesNational Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences R01MH121350University of Connecticut Research Foundation University of Connecticut Research Foundation
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

rationaleMotivational dysfunctions related to effort exertion are common in psychiatric disorders. Dopamine systems regulate exertion of effort and effort-based choice in humans and rodents.

objectivesPrevious rodent studies mainly employed male rats, and it is imperative to conduct studies in male and female rats.

methodsThe present studies compared the effort-related effects of IP injections of the dopamine antagonists ecopipam and haloperidol, and the vesicular monoamine transport-2 inhibitor tetrabenazine (TBZ), in male and female rats using the fixed ratio 5/chow feeding choice task.

resultsEcopipam (0.05-0.2 mg/kg) and haloperidol (0.05-0.15 mg/kg) induced a low-effort bias, decreasing lever pressing and increasing chow intake in males and females in the same dose range. With lever pressing, there was a modest but significant dose x sex interaction after ecopipam injection, but there was no significant interaction after administration of haloperidol. In the first study with TBZ (0.25-1.0 mg/kg), there was a robust sex difference. TBZ shifted choice from lever pressing to chow intake in male rats, but was ineffective in females. In a second experiment, 2.0 mg/kg affected choice behavior in both males and females. TBZ increased accumbens c-Fos immunoreactivity in a sex-dependent manner, with males significantly increasing at 1.0 mg/kg, while females showed augmented immunoreactivity at 2.0 mg/kg.

conclusionsThe neural and behavioral effects of TBZ differed across sexes, emphasizing the importance of conducting studies in male and female rats. This research has implications for understanding the effort-related motivational dysfunctions seen in psychopathology.

Indexed as

Dopamine AntagonistsDose-Response Relationship, DrugHaloperidolTetrabenazineAnimalsBenzazepinesChoice BehaviorDecision MakingFemaleMaleMotivationNucleus AccumbensProto-Oncogene Proteins c-fosRatsRats, Sprague-DawleySex CharacteristicsBenzazepinesDopamine AntagonistsecopipamHaloperidolProto-Oncogene Proteins c-fosTetrabenazineAnergiaAvolitionBehavioral activationChoiceFatigueMotivation

Identifiers

PMID38842701

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.