Involvement of amygdaloid corticosterone in altered visceral and somatic sensation.
Behavioral responses to thermal and mechanical stimuli were used to examine somatic sensitivity in rats with stereotaxic corticosterone (CORT) implants on the amygdala. These animals have previously been shown to display anxiety-like behavior coupled with colonic hypersensitivity; in this study, CORT induced not only visceral hypersensitivity but also somatic hypersensitivity. These findings suggest that modulation of the amygdala with CORT results in a generalized decrease in sensory thresholds via descending neuronal pathways.
Myers
Brent
B
VA Medical Center, Oklahoma Center for Neuroscience, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA.
Dittmeyer
Kale
K
Greenwood-Van Meerveld
Beverley
B
D000679:Amygdala / Q000187:drug effects*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003106:Colon / Q000294:innervation* / Q000502:physiology; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004343:Drug Implants; D008297:Male; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010812:Physical Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D011930:Reaction Time; D012867:Skin / Q000294:innervation*; D017833:Visceral Afferents / Q000187:drug effects
D004343:Drug Implants; D002784:Cholesterol; D003345:Corticosterone