title: β-Adrenergic receptors enhance excitatory transmission in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis through a corticotrophin-releasing factor receptor-dependent and cocaine-regulated mechanism.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Evidence suggests that the noradrenergic and corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) systems play critical roles in relapse and stress-related behaviors. In particular, behavioral studies point to a serial signaling process initiated by β-adrenergic receptors that requires CRF receptor (CRFR)-dependent signaling in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) to produce stress-induced relapse to cocaine seeking.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used whole cell patch clamp recordings from acutely prepared mouse brain slices to examine the actions of β-adrenergic receptors and CRFR1 on excitatory transmission in BNST. We examined the effects of agonists of these receptors in slices prepared from naive, sham, and cocaine-conditioned mice.
  
  
  RESULTS
  β(1)-adrenergic receptor activation within the BNST produces an enhancement of excitatory synaptic transmission that requires CRFR1-dependent signaling. We show that chronic cocaine administration transiently disrupts β(1)-adrenergic- and CRFR1-dependent enhancement of glutamatergic transmission, that this disruption wanes with time, and that it can be reintroduced with a cocaine challenge.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In total, these studies identify a circuit mechanism within the BNST that may play an important role in CRF- and norepinephrine-regulated behaviors.
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Graduate Program, Center Molecular Neuroscience, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA.
authors.forename: William P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Nobis
authors.forename: Thomas L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Kash
authors.forename: Yuval
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Silberman
authors.forename: Danny G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Winder
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003042:Cocaine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta / Q000378:metabolism*; D018019:Receptors, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D012686:Septal Nuclei / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors; D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta; D018019:Receptors, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; D003042:Cocaine