On the interactive role of central noradrenaline neurons and corticosterone in two-way active avoidance acquisition in the rat.
The noradrenaline (NA) neurotoxin, DSP4, caused a marked impairment of two-way active avoidance acquisition. Pretreatment with desipramine, which inhibits the degeneration of NA neurons by DSP4, consistently blocked the avoidance deficit. Daily treatment with corticosterone (2 X 1 mg/kg, s.c.) also blocked the impaired acquisition of avoidance induced by DSP4 but failed to affect the increase in cortical beta-noradrenergic receptors induced by DSP4. The present findings give further evidence for the important role interactions between the pituitary-adrenal axis and the locus coeruleus NA system play in aversive learning.
D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000502:physiology*; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D011941:Receptors, Adrenergic / Q000502:physiology
D011941:Receptors, Adrenergic; D003345:Corticosterone; D009638:Norepinephrine