The Journal of Neuroscience, 0000, 20:RC102:1-5
RAPID COMMUNICATION
Stimulation of In Vivo Dopamine Transmission in
the Bed Nucleus of Stria Terminalis by Reinforcing Drugs
Ezio
Carboni,
Alessandra
Silvagni,
Maria T. P.
Rolando, and
Gaetano
Di Chiara
Department of Toxicology and Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
Center for Neuropharmacology, University of Cagliari, 09126 Cagliari,
Italy
Drugs of abuse preferentially increase dopamine transmission in the
shell of the nucleus accumbens. This area is considered as a transition
between the striatum and the extended amygdala a complex neural system
that includes the central amygdala and the bed nucleus of stria
terminalis, areas that, like the nucleus accumbens shell, are heavily
innervated by mesolimbic dopamine neurons originating in the ventral
tegmental area. Given the anatomical and neurochemical relationships
and similarities with the nucleus accumbens shell it was of interest to
investigate whether the dopamine transmission of the bed nucleus of
stria terminalis shares with the accumbens shell the peculiar
responsiveness to drugs of abuse. To this end we studied by
microdialysis with concentric probes, the effect of drugs of abuse on
extracellular dopamine in the bed nucleus of stria terminalis. We
report that morphine, nicotine, cocaine, ethanol, and the selective
dopamine uptake inhibitor GBR 12909 increase effectively and
dose dependently extracellular dopamine in the bed nucleus of stria
terminalis. These results indicate that the bed nucleus of stria
terminalis shares with the nucleus accumbens shell a peculiar
sensitivity to the dopamine stimulant actions of drugs of abuse.
Key words:
dopamine; BNST; nicotine; morphine; ethanol; cocaine
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