Georgia State University, Neuroscience Institute, Attn: Wilczynski Lab, PO Box 5030, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA.
Physiol Behav. 2013 May 27;116-117:54-9. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2013.03.012. Epub 2013 Mar 24.
Dopamine (DA) is an important neurotransmitter involved in social behaviors, such as courtship and pair-bonding. In the green tree frog (Hyla cinerea), calling behavior is the primary social behavior used for mate attraction, and is critical for the reproductive success of the species. Our study examined how DA influences advertisement calling behavior of the green tree frog. In a field environment, calling males were treated with either a DA receptor-specific agonist (SKF-38393 or quinpirole), a non-specific DA agonist (apomorphine), or a control Ringer's solution, and vocalizations were recorded after a 20 min post-injection period. Behavioral analyses focused on if and when the frogs called (call latency), and the number of calls produced during post-injection recordings (call rate). There were significant differences in all measurements that varied with treatment and/or dose. The results demonstrate that activation of D2-like receptors has an inhibitory effect on vocalization in the green tree frog, while the D1-like and non-specific DA agonists do not affect calling behavior. These findings coincide with behavioral data from other taxa, and support the function of D2-like receptors in the inhibition of certain social behaviors. Overall, the results suggest conservation for DA in social behaviors across vertebrates.
多巴胺（DA）是一种重要的神经递质，参与社交行为，如求偶和配对。在绿树蛙（Hyla cinerea）中，叫声行为是用于吸引配偶的主要社交行为，对物种的繁殖成功至关重要。我们的研究探讨了多巴胺如何影响绿树蛙的广告叫声行为。在野外环境中，叫声雄性被给予多巴胺受体特异性激动剂（SKF-38393 或喹吡罗）、非特异性多巴胺激动剂（阿扑吗啡）或对照林格氏溶液，并在注射后 20 分钟记录发声。行为分析集中在青蛙是否以及何时鸣叫（鸣叫潜伏期），以及注射后记录的叫声次数（叫声率）。所有测量值都因处理和/或剂量而异，存在显著差异。结果表明，D2 样受体的激活对绿树蛙的发声有抑制作用，而 D1 样和非特异性 DA 激动剂不影响叫声行为。这些发现与来自其他分类群的行为数据一致，并支持 D2 样受体在抑制某些社交行为中的作用。总的来说，这些结果表明多巴胺在脊椎动物的社交行为中具有保守性。
