Fig. 7
Fenofibrate administration rescued the NAcS dopaminergic response to rewarding social stimulus in male rats blunted by VPA exposure. The levels of Thr34 DARPP-32 phosphorylation at baseline and following the interaction with an unknown conspecific or after sucrose consumption were measured in the NAcS by immunoblotting in male (a, b) and female rats (d, e). a Three-way ANOVA, social stimulus: F1,40 = 72.13, p < 0.0001; VPA exposure: F1,40 = 11.59, p = 0.0015; FBR administration: F1,40 = 10.70, p = 0.022; interaction of VPA exposure × social stimulus: F1,40 = 11.82, p = 0.0014; interaction of FBR administration × social stimulus: F1,40 = 16.02, p = 0.0003; interaction VPA exposure × FBR administration × social stimulus: F1,40 = 4.109, p = 0.0494; post hoc comparison: ***p < 0.001 vs. the respective baseline group. Values are expressed as mean ± SEM and calculated as percentage of the baseline values of the saline-SD group; n = 6. b Three-way ANOVA, sucrose consumption: F1,40 = 11.86, p = 0.0014; VPA exposure: F1,40 = 11.83, p = 0.0014; FBR administration: F1,40 = 0.36, n.s.; interaction of VPA exposure × FBR administration: F1,40 = 2.19, n.s.; interaction of VPA exposure × sucrose consumption: F1,40 = 12.68, p = 0.0010; interaction of VPA exposure × FBR treatment × sucrose consumption: F1,40 = 2.57, n.s; post hoc comparison: **p < 0.01, *p < 0.05 vs. the respective baseline group. Values are expressed as mean ± SEM and calculated as percentage of the baseline values of the saline-SD group; n = 6. c Representative immunoblotting in males. d Three-way ANOVA, social stimulus: F1,40 = 48.48, p < 0.0001; VPA exposure: F1,40 = 7.59, p = 0.0088; FBR administration: F1,40 = 0.19, n.s.; interaction of VPA exposure × social stimulus: F1,40 = 14.12, p = 0.0005; interaction of VPA exposure × FBR administration: F1,40 = 2.51, n.s.; interaction of VPA exposure × FBR treatment × social stimulus: F1,40 = 2.52, n.s.; post hoc comparison: ***p < 0.001, **p < 0.01 vs. the respective baseline group. Values are expressed as mean ± SEM and calculated as percentage of the baseline values of the saline-SD group; n = 6. e Three-way ANOVA, sucrose consumption: F1,32 = 35.08, p < 0.0001; VPA exposure: F1,32 = 0.15, n.s; FBR administration: F1,32 = 0.007, n.s.; interaction of VPA exposure x FBR administration: F1,40 = 2.19, n.s.; interaction of VPA exposure × sucrose consumption: F1,32 = 0.45, n.s.; interaction of VPA exposure × FBR treatment × sucrose consumption: F1,32 = 0.69, n.s. Values are expressed as mean ± SEM and calculated as percentage of the baseline values of the saline-SD group; n = 5. f Representative immunoblotting in females. Values are expressed as mean ± SEM and calculated as percentage of the baseline values of the saline-SD group. The levels of PPARα were measured by immunoblotting in the VTA of male (g) and female rats from the subgroups not exposed to the social or sucrose stimulus (h). g Two-way ANOVA, VPA exposure: F1,24 = 1.75, n.s.; FBR administration: F1,24 = 4.97, p = 0.0354; interaction: F1,24 = 0.226, n.s. Values are expressed as mean ± SEM and calculated as percentage of the saline-SD group values; n = 7. h Two-way ANOVA, VPA exposure: F1,24 = 0.176, n.s.; FBR administration: F1,24 = 4.39, p < 0.049; interaction: F1,24 = 0.00024, n.s. i Representative immunoblotting in males (upper panel) and females (lower panel). Values are expressed as mean ± SEM and calculated as percentage of the saline-SD group values; n = 7