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The Journal of Neuroscience, December 15, 1999, 19(24):11027-11039
Modulation of Basolateral Amygdala Neuronal Firing and Afferent
Drive by Dopamine Receptor Activation In Vivo
J. Amiel
Rosenkranz and
Anthony A.
Grace
Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, University of
Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260
The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is implicated in responding to
affective stimuli. Dopamine (DA) is released in the BLA during numerous
conditions; however, the neurophysiological effects of DA in the BLA
have not been examined in depth. In this study, the effects of DA
receptor manipulation on spontaneous and afferent-driven neuronal
firing were examined using in vivo extracellular
single-unit recordings in parallel with systemic and iontophoretic drug
application, and stimulation of the substantia nigra/ventral tegmental
area in the rat. The effects of DA receptor activation in the BLA were found to depend on the characteristics of the BLA neuron examined, causing an increase in the firing rate of putative interneurons and a
decrease in the firing of identified projection neurons. Additionally,
DA receptor activation attenuated short-latency spikes evoked by
electrical stimulation of prefrontal cortical and mediodorsal thalamic
inputs to the BLA while potentiating the responses evoked by electrical
stimulation of sensory association cortex.
DA receptor activation can thus attenuate BLA projection neuron firing
via two mechanisms: (1) by a direct inhibition, and (2) by indirect
actions mediated via activation of BLA interneurons. This is
hypothesized to lead to a global filtration of weaker inputs. Moreover,
DA potentiates sensory inputs and attenuates medial prefrontal
cortex inputs to the BLA. Conditions in which DA is released in
the BLA, such as during the presentation of an affective stimulus, will
lead to a potentiation of the strongest sensory input and a dampening
of cortical inhibition over the BLA, thus augmenting the response to
affective sensory stimuli.
Key words:
dopamine; basolateral amygdala; projection neuron; interneuron; afferent; electrophysiology; iontophoresis; substantia
nigra; ventral tegmental area; modulation
Copyright © 1999 Society for Neuroscience 0270-6474/99/192411027-13$05.00/0
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