The use of ultrasonic vocalizations as an experimental tool for studying emotional states in rodents has led to an increased understanding of the basic science of affect as well as the development of novel diagnostics and therapeutics for the treatment of affective disorders. At the behavioral level, the rules that govern the generation of affective 'feeling' states are similar to those of the psychophysics of sensory perception. Emotions are elicited primarily in response to active social stimuli. A linear increase in affective response requires a logarithmic increase in stimulation and habituation of a given affective response allows for transition across the cycle of emotional/affective states (approach→consummatory phase→avoidance). At the neuronal level, the coordinated expression of affective responses in the medial prefrontal cortex is orchestrated by rhythmic activity, which is initiated and maintained by a variety of short-term and long-term synaptic plasticity processes. An objective measure of affective states may emerge from these psychophysical and neuronal properties of emotion. Enhancing synaptic plasticity with pharmacological agents that modulate NMDA receptor activity as well as IGFI receptor activity may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of affective disorders.

中文翻译：

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使用大鼠超声波发声来研究情绪的神经生物学：从基础科学到情感障碍新型疗法的开发。

超声发声作为研究啮齿类动物情绪状态的实验工具的使用，导致人们对情感的基础科学有了更多的了解，并开发了用于治疗情感障碍的新型诊断和治疗方法。在行为层面，支配情感“感觉”状态生成的规则与感官知觉的心理物理学相似。情绪主要是在积极的社会刺激下产生的。情感反应的线性增加需要刺激的对数增加，并且给定情感反应的习惯化允许在情绪/情感状态的整个周期（过渡→充血阶段→回避）之间进行过渡。在神经元层面，在前额内侧皮层中情感反应的协调表达是由节律性活动来协调的，节律性活动是通过各种短期和长期的突触可塑性过程来启动和维持的。情绪的这些心理物理和神经元特性可能会成为情感状态的客观度量。用可调节NMDA受体活性和IGFI受体活性的药物增强突触可塑性可能具有治疗情感障碍的治疗潜力。