Cocaine and Dysregulated Synaptic Transmission in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis

Normandeau, Catherine P; Dumont, Éric C.

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-803750-8.00054-3

Cited by 1 publication

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“…The extended amygdala is one such collection of nuclei known to play a key role in addiction-related behaviors. − Composed of the anatomically related central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA), the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), and the shell of the NAc, , the extended amygdala functions as an integrator of stress and reward information within the brain and is implicated in the withdrawal and negative affect stage of the addictive cycle described above. − Specifically, the BNST has a direct projection to the VTA that is critical for and engaged during drug-seeking behavior as well as withdrawal from drugs of abuse . In addition, activity in the BNST is critical for both cue- and stress-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking and has been shown to undergo plastic changes during abstinence from drugs of abuse after extended use. − For this reason, it will be the subject of the remainder of this review, extending prior analyses of this literature. − …”

Section: Introduction: the Brain During Protracted Abstinencementioning

confidence: 99%

Synaptic Plasticity in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis: Underlying Mechanisms and Potential Ramifications for Reinstatement of Drug- and Alcohol-Seeking Behaviors

Harris

Winder

2018

ACS Chem. Neurosci.

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The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a component of the extended amygdala that shows significant changes in activity and plasticity through chronic exposure to drugs and stress. The region is critical for stress- and cue-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking behaviors and is thus a candidate region for the plastic changes that occur in abstinence that prime addicted patients for reinstatement behaviors. Here, we discuss the various forms of long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) in the rodent BNST and highlight the way that these changes in excitatory transmission interact with exposure to alcohol and other drugs of abuse, as well as other stressors. In addition, we highlight potential areas for future research in this area, including investigating input- and cell-specific bidirectional changes in activity. As we continue to accrue foundational knowledge in the mechanisms and effects of plasticity in the BNST, molecular targets and treatment strategies that are relevant to reinstatement behaviors will also begin to emerge. Here, we briefly discuss the effects of catecholamine receptor modulators on synaptic plasticity in the BNST due to the role of norepinephrine in LTD and dopamine on the short-term component of LTP as well as the role that signaling at these receptors plays in reinstatement of drug- and alcohol-seeking behaviors. We hope that insights gained on the specific changes in plasticity that occur within the BNST during abstinence from alcohol and other drugs of abuse will provide insight into the biological underpinnings of relapse behavior in human addicts and inform future treatment modalities for addiction that tackle this complex biological problem.

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