Laughing Rats? Panksepp & Burgdorf (2000).Behavioural Brain Research. 115, 25-38.

• Characteristics of 50-kHz ultrasonic chirp.

  • Greater in isolate-reared animals.
  • Reflect rewarding properties of tickling.
  • Are reduced by fear-arousing stimuli (cat odors).
  • Associated with light, nipping “play bites” (play solicitation?).
  • Selective breeding produced high and low chirping tendencies to tickling within four generations.
  • Glutamate and dopamine involvement?

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