title: Effects of parabrachial opioid antagonism on stimulation-induced feeding.
abstract: The pontine parabrachial nucleus (PBN) contains gustatory relay neurons and a high concentration of opioid receptors. To investigate the involvement of PBN opioid activity in feeding behavior, antagonists were infused into the PBN bilaterally and effects on stimulation-induced feeding were determined. Naloxone, a mu-preferring antagonist, increased the lateral hypothalamic stimulation threshold for eliciting feeding behavior while nor-binaltorphimine, a kappa-selective antagonist, did not. Neither antagonist increased threshold when infused into dorsal pontine sites outside of the PBN or the fourth ventricle. In as much as PBN contains mu and kappa but no detectable delta receptors, the present results suggest that mu opioid activity within the PBN is involved in the mediation of feeding behavior.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, New York University Medical Center, NY 10016.
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Carr
authors.forename: D O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Aleman
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Bak
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Simon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D007263:Infusions, Parenteral; D008297:Male; D008845:Microinjections; D009270:Naloxone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009271:Naltrexone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D011149:Pons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D011957:Receptors, Opioid / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D017465:Receptors, Opioid, delta; D017473:Receptors, Opioid, kappa; D017450:Receptors, Opioid, mu; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D011957:Receptors, Opioid; D017465:Receptors, Opioid, delta; D017473:Receptors, Opioid, kappa; D017450:Receptors, Opioid, mu; D009270:Naloxone; C051844:norbinaltorphimine; D009271:Naltrexone