title: Effects of the central amygdaloid nucleus lesions on the gustatory responses in the parabrachial nucleus in rats.
abstract: To access the role of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) in the gustatory activity in the pontine parabrachial nucleus (PBN), the responses to four prototypical taste stimuli (NaCl, HCl, QH2SO4 and sucrose) in the PBN were observed before and after bilateral electrolytic lesion of the CeA in the urethane-anesthetized rat. Of 29 neurons, 14 were classified as NaCl-best, 9 as HCl-best, 3 as QH2SO4-best and 3 sucrose-best. After CeA lesions, the response rates to HCl and QH2SO4 were statistically higher across all PBN neurons (P<0.01). According to the best-stimulus category, the effects on the responses to HCl and QH2SO4 were similarly subjected to these modulations in NaCl-best, HCl-best and QH2SO4-best neurons. Correlation analysis indicated that the CeA lesion depressed the effect on the chemical selection between NaCl and QH2SO4. These findings suggest that the CeA plays an important role in the taste coding at the pontine level and it may be involved in mediating the feeding behavior via modulating the gustatory responses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Xi'an Jiaotong University Medicine School, Xi'an 710061, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Jian-Qun
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000679:Amygdala / Q000293:injuries / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D011149:Pons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013649:Taste / Q000502:physiology*