| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
This study investigated whether the olfactory tubercle-ventral pallidum pathway is involved in the formation of positive and negative emotional responses. Behavioral pharmacology experiments were conducted by locally injecting the mu receptor agonist DAMGO, orexin peptide, and GABAA receptor agonist muscimol into the anteromedial or anterolateral domains of the rat olfactory tubercle, and the effects were evaluated using a taste reactivity test. In the anteromedial domain, the administration of each drug enhanced positive reactions (including drinking behavior). In contrast, no enhancement of positive reactions was observed with any drug when injected into the anterolateral domain. Additionally, this study introduced ultrasonic vocalizations as a new measure for assessing positive emotional responses in rats, finding that rats exhibited specific ultrasonic vocalizations when consuming chocolate, a highly preferred food.
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