Siegel J, Sisson D F, Driscoll P
Neuroscience Program, University of Delaware, Newark 19716.
Physiol Behav. 1993 Oct;54(4):707-11. doi: 10.1016/0031-9384(93)90080-y.
Human and cat high sensation seekers tend to show increasing amplitudes (augmenting) of the P1 and N1 components of the visual evoked potential (VEP) to increasing intensities of light flash, whereas low sensation seekers show VEP reducing. Roman high-avoidance (RHA) and Roman low-avoidance (RLA) rats have behavioral traits comparable to human and cat high and low sensation seekers, respectively. RHA rats show greater exploration, activity, and aggression than do RLA rats. Rats of each Roman line and Wistar rats were anesthetized with chloral hydrate and maintained at a stable moderate anesthetic level. VEPs to each of five flash intensities were computer averaged for each rat. The slopes of P1 amplitudes as a function of flash intensity were significantly greater in the RHA than the RLA rats. RHA rats were clear augmenters; RLA rats had almost flat amplitude-intensity functions. The Wistar rats had slope functions that were similar to those of the RLA rats. This study shows that the relationship between sensation-seeking behavior and VEP augmenting and reducing has a heritable base and extends across species from human, cat, and rat. In addition, we demonstrate a rat model of this relationship that yields advantages of genetic homogeneity and a short generational time, and provides access to a wealth of behavioral data and experimental manipulations available for the rat.
人类和猫中的高感觉寻求者往往会随着闪光强度的增加而表现出视觉诱发电位（VEP）的P1和N1成分的波幅增大（增强），而低感觉寻求者则表现出VEP波幅减小。罗马高回避（RHA）和罗马低回避（RLA）大鼠分别具有与人类和猫中的高、低感觉寻求者相当的行为特征。RHA大鼠比RLA大鼠表现出更大的探索、活动和攻击性。将每个罗马品系的大鼠和Wistar大鼠用氯水合醛麻醉，并维持在稳定的适度麻醉水平。对每只大鼠的五种闪光强度下的VEP进行计算机平均处理。RHA大鼠中，P1波幅随闪光强度变化的斜率显著大于RLA大鼠。RHA大鼠是明显的增强者；RLA大鼠的波幅-强度函数几乎是平的。Wistar大鼠的斜率函数与RLA大鼠相似。这项研究表明，感觉寻求行为与VEP增强和减弱之间的关系具有遗传基础，并且从人类、猫和大鼠跨物种存在。此外，我们展示了这种关系的大鼠模型，该模型具有基因同质性和短世代时间的优势，并能获取大量可用于大鼠的行为数据和实验操作。
