Catecholamines in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis Reciprocally Respond to Reward and Aversion

Park, Jinwoo; Wheeler, Robert A.; Fontillas, Khristy; Keithley, Richard B.; Carelli, Regina M.; Wightman, R. Mark

doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.10.017

« Previous Next »Biological Psychiatry
Volume 71, Issue 4 , Pages 327-334, 15 February 2012

Catecholamines in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis Reciprocally Respond to Reward and Aversion

Jinwoo Park
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Robert A. Wheeler
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Khristy Fontillas
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Richard B. Keithley
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Regina M. Carelli
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
R. Mark Wightman
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Address correspondence to R. Mark Wightman, Ph.D., Department of Chemistry, CB #3290, Venable Hall, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3290

Received 26 July 2011; received in revised form 10 September 2011; accepted 11 October 2011. published online 24 November 2011.

Background

Traditionally, norepinephrine has been associated with stress responses, whereas dopamine has been associated with reward. Both of these catecholamines are found within the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a brain relay nucleus in the extended amygdala between cortical/limbic centers, and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Despite this colocalization, little is known about subsecond catecholamine signaling in subregions of the BNST in response to salient stimuli.

Methods

Changes in extracellular catecholamine concentration in subregions of the BNST in response to salient stimuli were measured within the rat BNST with fast-scan cyclic voltammetry at carbon-fiber microelectrodes.

Results

A discrete subregional distribution of release events was observed for different catecholamines in this nucleus. In addition, rewarding and aversive tastants evoked inverse patterns of norepinephrine and dopamine release in the BNST. An aversive stimulus, quinine, activated noradrenergic signaling but inhibited dopaminergic signaling, whereas a palatable stimulus, sucrose, inhibited norepinephrine while causing dopamine release.

Conclusions

This reciprocal relationship, coupled with their different time courses, can provide integration of opposing hedonic states to influence response outputs appropriate for survival.

Key Words: Dopamine , dorsolateral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (dlBNST) , fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) , norepinephrine , tastant stimuli , ventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (vBNST)