Nucleus accumbens neurons show membrane potential fluctuations between a very negative resting membrane potential and periodical plateau depolarizations. Because action potential firing occurs only during the depolarized state, the control of transitions between states is important for information processing within this region, with an impact on accumbens-related behaviors. It has been proposed...

Although taste can influence meal size and body weight, the neural substrate for these effects remains obscure. Dopamine, particularly in the nucleus accumbens, has been implicated in both natural and nonnatural rewards. To isolate the orosensory effects of taste from possible postingestive consequences, we investigated the quantitative relationship between sham feeding of sucrose and extracell...

Psychogenic erectile dysfunction (ED) has been defined as the persistent inability to attain and maintain an erection sufficient to permit sexual performance. It shows a high incidence and prevalence among men, with a significant impact on the quality of life. Few neuroimaging studies have investigated the cerebral basis of erectile dysfunctions observing the role played by prefrontal, cingulat...

In vivo microdialysis techniques were used to determine the ability of glutamate receptors within the nucleus accumbens to trans-synaptically modulate the basal forebrain cortical cholinergic system. Rats were implanted with a dialysis probe in the medial prefrontal cortex to measure changes in cortical acetylcholine efflux and in the ipsilateral nucleus accumbens to locally manipulate glutamat...

The nucleus accumbens is a terminal area of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system that arises in the ventral tegmental area. Opioids are thought to enhance dopaminergic activity in the nucleus accumbens by activating δ- and μ-opioid receptors in the ventral tegmental area. However, δ- and μ-opioid receptor agonists increase extracellular levels of accumbal dopamine when infused directly into the n...

The present study examined whether unilateral stimulation of acetylcholine or dopamine receptors in the nucleus accumbens induces an asymmetry in dopamine transmission in the ventrolateral striatum. For this purpose, a microdialysis technique was used to measure dopamine release in both sides of the ventrolateral striatum following unilateral injections of carbachol (5 micrograms/0.5 microliter...

OBJECTIVE(S) The dopamine level of the nucleus accumbens changes during some stereotyped behaviors. To study dopamine level of the nucleus accumbens in intra infralimbic apomorphine-induced climbing, microdialysis probes were implanted into the nucleus accumbens shell of male Sprague Dawley rats weighting 275-400 g. MATERIALS AND METHODS The rats were divided into two groups (apomorphine and ...

BACKGROUND Maternal deprivation (MD) in rodents is an important neurodevelopmental model for studying a variety of behavioral changes which closely resemble the symptoms of schizophrenia in humans. SUBJECTS AND METHODS To determine whether early-life stress leads to changes in the limbic system structures: the amygdala and the nucleus accumbens, 9-day-old Wistar rats were exposed to 24 hour M...

Dominance hierarchies are integral aspects of social groups, yet whether personality traits may predispose individuals to a particular rank remains unclear. Here we show that trait anxiety directly influences social dominance in male outbred rats and identify an important mediating role for mitochondrial function in the nucleus accumbens. High-anxious animals that are prone to become subordinat...