title: Behavioral and autonomic responses to acute restraint stress are segregated within the lateral septal area of rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Lateral Septal Area (LSA) is involved with autonomic and behavior responses associated to stress. In rats, acute restraint (RS) is an unavoidable stress situation that causes autonomic (body temperature, mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) increases) and behavioral (increased anxiety-like behavior) changes in rats. The LSA is one of several brain regions that have been involved in stress responses. The aim of the present study was to investigate if the neurotransmission blockade in the LSA would interfere in the autonomic and behavioral changes induced by RS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Male Wistar rats with bilateral cannulae aimed at the LSA, an intra-abdominal datalogger (for recording internal body temperature), and an implanted catheter into the femoral artery (for recording and cardiovascular parameters) were used. They received bilateral microinjections of the non-selective synapse blocker cobalt chloride (CoCl(2), 1 mM/ 100 nL) or vehicle 10 min before RS session. The tail temperature was measured by an infrared thermal imager during the session. Twenty-four h after the RS session the rats were tested in the elevated plus maze (EPM).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Inhibition of LSA neurotransmission reduced the MAP and HR increases observed during RS. However, no changes were observed in the decrease in skin temperature and increase in internal body temperature observed during this period. Also, LSA inhibition did not change the anxiogenic effect induced by RS observed 24 h later in the EPM. The present results suggest that LSA neurotransmission is involved in the cardiovascular but not the temperature and behavioral changes induced by restraint stress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Daniel G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.forename: América A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Scopinho
authors.forename: Francisco S
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Guimarães
authors.forename: Fernando M A
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Corrêa
authors.forename: Leonardo B M
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Resstel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016587:Antimutagenic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002320:Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena / Q000187:drug effects; D002319:Cardiovascular System / Q000294:innervation; D003035:Cobalt / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008845:Microinjections; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012149:Restraint, Physical / Q000523:psychology; D020665:Septum of Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D016587:Antimutagenic Agents; D003035:Cobalt; C018021:cobaltous chloride