title: Catecholamines in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis reciprocally respond to reward and aversion.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Traditionally, norepinephrine has been associated with stress responses, whereas dopamine has been associated with reward. Both of these catecholamines are found within the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a brain relay nucleus in the extended amygdala between cortical/limbic centers, and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Despite this colocalization, little is known about subsecond catecholamine signaling in subregions of the BNST in response to salient stimuli.
  
  
  METHODS
  Changes in extracellular catecholamine concentration in subregions of the BNST in response to salient stimuli were measured within the rat BNST with fast-scan cyclic voltammetry at carbon-fiber microelectrodes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A discrete subregional distribution of release events was observed for different catecholamines in this nucleus. In addition, rewarding and aversive tastants evoked inverse patterns of norepinephrine and dopamine release in the BNST. An aversive stimulus, quinine, activated noradrenergic signaling but inhibited dopaminergic signaling, whereas a palatable stimulus, sucrose, inhibited norepinephrine while causing dopamine release.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This reciprocal relationship, coupled with their different time courses, can provide integration of opposing hedonic states to influence response outputs appropriate for survival.
authors: Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
authors: Jinwoo
authors: J
authors: Park
authors: Robert A
authors: RA
authors: Wheeler
authors: Khristy
authors: K
authors: Fontillas
authors: Richard B
authors: RB
authors: Keithley
authors: Regina M
authors: RM
authors: Carelli
authors: R Mark
authors: RM
authors: Wightman
mesh_terms: D059331:Adrenergic Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000379:methods; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D059290:Dopaminergic Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000378:metabolism; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000378:metabolism*; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000378:metabolism*; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012201:Reward; D012686:Septal Nuclei / Q000378:metabolism*; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000502:physiology; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; D004298:Dopamine; D009638:Norepinephrine