Role of enhanced noradrenergic transmission within the ventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in visceral pain-induced aversion in rats.
Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience. We demonstrated the crucial role of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) in the negative affective component of somatic and visceral pain induced by intraplantar formalin and intraperitoneal acetic acid injections, respectively, in rats. Recently, we reported the involvement of enhanced noradrenergic transmission via beta-adrenoceptors within the ventral BNST (vBNST) in formalin-induced aversion. Here, we examined the role of intra-vBNST noradrenergic transmission in the negative affective component of visceral pain induced by intraperitoneal acetic acid injection. In vivo microdialysis showed that extracellular noradrenaline levels within the vBNST significantly increased after intraperitoneal acetic acid injection. Using a conditioned place aversion (CPA) test, we found that intra-vBNST injection of timolol, a beta-adrenoceptor antagonist, dose-dependently attenuated the acetic acid-induced CPA without reducing nociceptive behaviors. These results suggest that enhanced noradrenergic transmission via beta-adrenoceptors within the vBNST plays a pivotal role in the negative affective, but not sensory, component of visceral pain.
Deyama
Satoshi
S
Department of Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita-ku Kita 12 Nishi 6, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan.
Katayama
Takahiro
T
Kondoh
Naoto
N
Nakagawa
Takayuki
T
Kaneko
Shuji
S
Yamaguchi
Taku
T
Yoshioka
Mitsuhiro
M
Minami
Masabumi
M
D019342:Acetic Acid; D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D008297:Male; D017551:Microdialysis / Q000379:methods; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D010146:Pain / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000469:parasitology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D012686:Septal Nuclei / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D013999:Timolol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D013999:Timolol; D019342:Acetic Acid; D009638:Norepinephrine