This study compares the behavioural efficiency of dopaminergic mesencephalic neurons implanted into the rat neostriatum and/or the nucleus accumbens. The dopaminergic mesotelencephalic pathway was unilaterally destroyed by injection of 6-hydroxydopamine into the medial forebrain bundle at the level of the lateral hypothalamus. Three weeks later, embryonic dopaminergic mesencephalic neurons were...

Age-related changes in the capacity, rate, and modulation of dopamine (DA) uptake within the striatum and the nucleus accumbens core of Fischer 344 rats were investigated using in vivo electrochemical recordings coupled with local drug application techniques. Equimolar amounts of DA were pressure ejected into the striatum and the nucleus accumbens of 6-, 12-, 18-, and 24-month old rats. The DA ...

One of the major determinants of reinstatement to cocaine use among human addicts is acute reexposure to the drug, which often precipitates cocaine craving and relapse. We used an animal model of cocaine relapse to determine the role of the glutamatergic pathway from the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) to the nucleus accumbens in the reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior after a cocaine pri...

How the nucleus accumbens integrates information from multiple upstream regions has been a central question for decades. In this issue of Neuron, Britt et al. (2012) photostimulate glutamatergic axons from the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus in the nucleus accumbens, characterizing the functional role of each pathway both in vivo and ex vivo.

In vivo voltammetry has been used to measure the release of dopamine evoked by electrical stimulation of the medial forebrain bundle (MFB). Simultaneous measurements have been made with voltammetric-sensing electrodes ipsilateral to the stimulating electrode in the nucleus accumbens and the caudate nucleus of the anesthetized rat. During the stimulation, the species observed in both regions is ...

BACKGROUND Dysregulation in the prefrontal cortex-nucleus accumbens pathway has been implicated in cocaine addiction. We have previously demonstrated that one intra-dorsomedial prefrontal cortex brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) infusion immediately following the last cocaine self-administration session caused a long-lasting inhibition of cocaine-seeking and normalized the cocaine-induce...

Two motivational processes affect choice between actions: (1) changes in the reward value of the goal or outcome of an action and (2) changes in the predicted value of an action based on outcome-related stimuli. Here, we evaluated the role of μ-opioid receptor (MOR) and δ-opioid receptor (DOR) in the nucleus accumbens in the way these motivational processes influence choice using outcome revalu...

Introduction: The brain glutamate system plays a central role in response to stress. This study examines the effect of memantine (a NMDA glutamate receptor antagonist) on stress from plantar electrical shock in male NMRI mice (Pasture Institute, Iran), weighing 25-30 g (n=6/group). Methods: The nucleus accumbens was bilaterally cannulated in a group of animals, and seven days later, differen...

Dopamine (DA) is one of the main catecholamines in the brain and is crucial for movement coordination, endocrine function, reward, mood, memory and emotions. The dopaminergic system is the primary therapeutic target in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD), drug addiction and schizophrenia. Notwithstanding, dysfunction of central dopaminergic neurotransmission has also been associated to de...

Introduction: The role of different parts of the extended amygdala in metabolic signs of stress is not well understood. In the present study, we decided to evaluate the impact of the shell part of nucleus accumbens (NAc) on metabolic disturbance induced by electro foot shock stress using transient inactivation method in the rat.  Methods: Male Wistar rats (W: 230-250 g) were canuulated un...