Enhanced motivation to take drugs is a central characteristic of addiction, yet the neural underpinning of this maladaptive behavior is still largely unknown. Here, we report a D1-like dopamine receptor (DRD1)-mediated long-term potentiation of GABAA-IPSCs (D1-LTPGABA) in the oval bed nucleus of the stria terminalis that was positively correlated with motivation to self-administer cocaine in ra...

To determine if substance P- or prodynorphin-containing neurons of the medial nucleus of the amygdala and medial bed nucleus of the stria terminalis send projections to the medial preoptic area in the male Syrian hamster, we placed a fluorescent retrograde tract tracer (either Fluoro-gold, or rhodamine- or fluorescein-impregnated latex microspheres) into the medial preoptic area. Five to seven ...

A detailed description is given of the distribution of vasopressin-immunoreactive structures in the brain of intact adult male rats. By application of a modified immunocytochemical procedure, vasopressin-immunoreactive fibers were detected in many new areas. In adult male rats which were castrated 15 weeks before death, vasopressin-immunoreactive cell bodies had disappeared from the bed nucleus...

The alterations in local cerebral glucose utilization in 58 anatomically discrete regions which occur during a period of hemorrhagic hypotension have been investigated in conscious rats, using the quantitative autoradiographic 14C-deoxyglucose technique. Hemorrhagic hypotension (mean arterial pressure reduced by approximately 50 mm Hg) effected significant increases in glucose utilization in ei...

Smartphone dependence (SPD) is increasingly regarded as a psychological problem, however, the underlying neural substrates of SPD is still not clear. High resolution magnetic resonance imaging provides a useful tool to help understand and manage the disorder. In this study, a tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) analysis on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to measure white matter integr...

Bilateral lesions were made in three groups of rats, selectively destroying the corticomedial amygdala, the pyriform cortex, or the dorsal stria terminalis. During Phase 1 of the experiment, the behavior of each rat was observed in an open-field apparatus for 4 consecutive days for 5 min per day. This phase permitted an evaluation of exploration that occurs when a rat is forced into contact wit...

BACKGROUND Functional neuroimaging studies implicate anterior cingulate and limbic dysfunction in major depressive disorder (MDD) and responsiveness to antidepressants. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) enables characterisation of white matter tracts that relate to these regions. AIMS To examine whether DTI measures of anterior cingulate and limbic white matter are useful prognostic biomarkers f...

In the light of physiological data it is certain that there is a close functional correlation between the amygdaloid body and the hypo-thalamus and preoptic area. These areas are vital for emotional reactions and affect drives and endocrinal functions. A damage of amygdaloid nuclei causes changes in behavior very similar to those following partial lesions of the hypothalamus and preoptic area (...

Early-life experience including maternal care profoundly influences hormonal stress responses during adulthood. Daily handling on postnatal day (P) 2-9, eliciting augmented maternal care upon returning pups to their cage, permanently modifies the expression of the stress neuromodulators corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR). We have previously demonstrated reduce...

Limbic dysfunction and hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis dysregulation are key features of affective disorders. The following review summarizes our current understanding of the relationship between limbic structures and control of ACTH and glucocorticoid release, focusing on the hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala. In general, the hippocampus and anterior cingulate/...