Sexual Deprivation Increases Ethanol Intake in Drosophila

The brain's reward systems reinforce behaviors required for species survival, including sex, food consumption, and social interaction. Drugs of abuse co-opt these neural pathways, which can lead to addiction. Here, we used Drosophila melanogaster to investigate the relationship between natural...

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Veröffentlicht in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2012-03, Vol.335 (6074), p.1351-1355
Hauptverfasser: Shohat-Ophir, G., Kaun, K. R., Azanchi, R., Heberlein, U.
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:The brain's reward systems reinforce behaviors required for species survival, including sex, food consumption, and social interaction. Drugs of abuse co-opt these neural pathways, which can lead to addiction. Here, we used Drosophila melanogaster to investigate the relationship between natural and drug rewards. In males, mating increased, whereas sexual deprivation reduced, neuropeptide F (NPF) levels. Activation or inhibition of the NPF system in turn enhanced or reduced ethanol preference. These results thus link sexual experience, NPF system activity, and ethanol consumption. Artificial activation of NPF neurons was in itself rewarding and precluded the ability of ethanol to act as a reward. We propose that activity of the NPF-NPF receptor axis represents the state of the fly reward system and modifies behavior accordingly.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1215932