Shell Part of Nucleus Accumbens and Its Laterality Has Important Role in Response to Chronic Stress in Female Rats Publisher



Javadifar TS¹ ; Amirikia M³ ; Sarahian N¹ ; Ketabi MA² ; Sahraei H¹ ; Nasehi M⁵ ; Zarrindast MR⁴ Show Affiliations
Source: Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology Published:2020

Abstract

The nucleus accumbens shell (NAcSh) plays a role in appetitive and negative motivation with sex differences in responses. NAcSh and its laterality in metabolic and hormonal responses to chronic stress in female rats is evaluated via transient inactivation of this nucleus during stress induction. Animals in the stress groups received consecutive stress for four days and transient inactivation of NAcSh was performed by administrating lidocaine (0.2%) unilaterally or bilaterally in the nucleus for five minutes before electric foot shock induction. After stress termination, food and water intake, latency to eat, plasma glucose, corticosterone, estradiol and progesterone were measured in all groups. Results showed that stress increased food intake and blood glucose level, but there were no change in the latency to eat and the amount of water intake. The right side, the left side, and both sides of NAcSh may be dominant in latency to eat, food intake, and both water intake and plasma glucose level, respectively. Although chronic stress included no changes for corticosterone and progesterone, it increased estradiol level in plasma. Also, bilateral and right sides of NAcSh may have modulatory effects on stress in corticosterone and progesterone, respectively, without affecting estradiol. It can be concluded that the NAc shell plays a pivotal role in metabolic and hormonal responses to chronic stress in a laterality manner in female rats. © 2020. by the authors. Submitted for possible open access publication under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY NC) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). All rights reserved.