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

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, HIGHLIGHTS  Chronic stress increase food intake and blood glucose significantly.  Chronic stress has no effect on delay to start eating and amount of water intake.  Right side and left side of NAcSh are dominant in delay and amount of food intake.  Stress increase estradiol level but has no effect on corticosterone and progesterone. 2 Sahraei, H.; et al.

Efeitos do exercício físico aeróbico com e sem complexidade motora na desesperança, percepção afetiva e na volumetria da amígdala, tálamo e do núcleo accumbens em indivíduos com depressão maior do Sistema Único de Saúde

“…Pensando no TDM, a redução volumétrica é observada principalmente no hemisfério esquerdo (16). Em modelos animais com roedores, existem mais evidências da lateralidade das funções desta região (110), como a assimetria da cauda do NAcc afeta aspectos hormonais e no estresse crônico em roedores fêmeas (111). Ainda, a disfunção da dopamina parece ser maior no hemisfério esquerdo que no direito (112), onde indivíduos com TDM apresentam disfunção deste neurotransmissor.…”