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Dopaminergic modulation of lateral amygdala neuronal activity: Differential d1 and d2 receptor effects on thalamic and cortical afferent inputs

Chang, CH and Grace, AA (2015) Dopaminergic modulation of lateral amygdala neuronal activity: Differential d1 and d2 receptor effects on thalamic and cortical afferent inputs. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 18 (8). 1 - 8. ISSN 1461-1457

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Abstract

Background: In auditory fear conditioning, the lateral nucleus of the amygdala (LA) integrates a conditioned stimulus (CS) from the auditory thalamus (MGN) and the auditory association cortex (Te3) with an aversive unconditioned stimulus. The thalamic input provides a basic version of the CS, while the cortical input provides a processed representation of the stimulus. Dopamine (DA) is released in the LA under heightened arousal during the presentation of the CS. Methods: In this study we examined how D1 or D2 receptor activation affects LA afferent-driven neuronal firing using in vivo extracellular single-unit recordings with local micro-iontophoretic drug application in anesthetized rats. LA neurons that were responsive (~50%) to electrical stimulation in either the MGN or the Te3 were tested by iontophoresis of either the D1 agonist, SKF38393, or the D2 agonist, quinpirole. Results: We found that most of the LA projection neurons exhibited either facilitatory or attenuating effects (changes in evoked probability 15% relative to baseline) on afferent input by activation of D1 or D2 receptors. In general, it required significantly higher stimulation current to evoke ~50% baseline responses to the cortical input. Activation of the D1 receptor showed no difference in modulation between the thalamic or cortical pathways. On the other hand, activation of the D2 receptor had a stronger inhibitory modulation of the cortical pathway, but a stronger excitatory modulation of the thalamic pathway. Conclusions: Our results suggest that there is a shift in balance favoring the thalamic pathway in response to DA acting via the D2 receptor..


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Details

Item Type: Article
Status: Published
Creators/Authors:
CreatorsEmailPitt UsernameORCID
Chang, CHchangch@pitt.eduCHANGCH
Grace, AAgraceaa@pitt.eduGRACEAA
Date: 1 June 2015
Date Type: Publication
Journal or Publication Title: International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
Volume: 18
Number: 8
Page Range: 1 - 8
DOI or Unique Handle: 10.1093/ijnp/pyv015
Schools and Programs: Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Neuroscience
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Psychology
School of Medicine > Psychiatry
Refereed: Yes
ISSN: 1461-1457
Date Deposited: 03 Jul 2017 14:39
Last Modified: 30 Mar 2021 12:55
URI: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/32680

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