Post-session sulpiride infusions within the perifornical region of the lateral hypothalamus enhance consolidation of associative learning

Whilst neurons within the lateral hypothalamus are well known to be responsive to the presentation of previously learned associative stimuli, the consolidation of a Pavlovian association is thought to depend in large part upon other brain regions, including the amygdala. The present study addressed this assumption directly, by examining the effect of post-session infusions of sulpiride within the lateral hypothalamus upon the acquisition of a conditioned approach response in an appetitive differential conditioning task. Subjects were exposed to an initially neutral stimulus (CS⁺), which immediately preceded the availability of a 10% sucrose reward (US). A second, control stimulus (CS⁻) was also presented, but never in close temporal proximity to the US. The number and duration of alcove approaches were recorded. Immediately following each training session, subjects were infused bilaterally with sulpiride (0, 0.5, 5 μg) in the vicinity of the perifornical region of the lateral hypothalamus. Sulpiride dose-dependently enhanced the rate of acquisition of a conditioned approach response to presentation of the CS⁺, but was without affect upon approach behaviour during CS⁻ or US presentations. Thus, 0.5 μg sulpiride facilitated at an early stage (session 2 onwards) the number of alcove approaches to the CS⁺, while 5 μg sulpiride enhanced to a greater extent the duration of conditioned approach, particularly during later sessions. A subsequent locomotor test using 0.5 mg/kg d-amphetamine indicated that repeated infusions of the higher dose sulpiride (5 μg), but not the lower dose (0.5 μg), resulted in behavioural sensitisation to administration of the psychomotor stimulant. Acquisition of a novel conditioned instrumental response was not affected by previous exposure to sulpiride. These data suggest that dopamine-sensitive neurons within the lateral hypothalamus may play a significant role in the acquisition of appetitive Pavlovian associations. Received: 2 January 1998/Final version: 16 April 1998