Oral and gastric input to the parabrachial nucleus of the rat

Acute suppression, but not chronic genetic deficiency, of c- fos gene expression impairs long-term memory in aversive taste learning

“…Neurons in the PBN, the second-order gustatory relay station in the rat central gustatory pathway, are known to induce c-fos expression in response to gustatory and visceral stimuli (16,22,23,31,32). The present study showed that PBN neuronal responses at least at the early phase (15 s) of taste stimulation were not altered after the acute blockage of c-fos mRNA translation (Fos protein synthesis) by AS-ODN within the PBN, and that the same treatment did not affect the expression of LiCl-induced Fos-li-positive cells in the CeA.…”

An orexigenic role for μ-opioid receptors in the lateral parabrachial nucleus

“…The LPBN includes subnuclei that process, sort, and project viscerosensory and gustatory information (see Introduction). The LPBN also serves as a target where second-order afferents from these feeding-related systems converge and interact physiologically (7,8,30,38). ORs, especially the dense population of the -subtype, can serve multiple roles in this area.…”

“…Another (probably integrated) circuit is defined by observations that opioid stimulation of the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (21, 22) The parabrachial nucleus (PBN) of the pons has bidirectional communication with the PVN, central nucleus of the amygdala, and NTS (19,29,61,62). The multiple subnuclei of the PBN sort afferent input from second-order sensory neurons originating in the NTS and spinal cord (38,83) and distribute the information to rostral targets (19,36,37,68). This sensory processing includes neurotransmission underlying gustatory and visceral function and their convergence (8,30,38).…”

“…The multiple subnuclei of the PBN sort afferent input from second-order sensory neurons originating in the NTS and spinal cord (38,83) and distribute the information to rostral targets (19,36,37,68). This sensory processing includes neurotransmission underlying gustatory and visceral function and their convergence (8,30,38).It is logical, then, that the PBN has been implicated in diverse roles in ingestion. In the lateral region of this nucleus (LPBN), these include mediating 1) feeding elicited by several antimetabolites (12,28,33,87); 2) hypophagic actions of CCK (85, 88); 3) serotonergic inhibition of salt appetite (59) and feeding (47, 80); 4) hyperphagic actions of a benzodiazepine agonist (32, 82); and 5) sensory and associative mechanisms of the learning of both taste aversions and preferences (27,73,76).…”

“…The multiple subnuclei of the PBN sort afferent input from second-order sensory neurons originating in the NTS and spinal cord (38,83) and distribute the information to rostral targets (19,36,37,68). This sensory processing includes neurotransmission underlying gustatory and visceral function and their convergence (8,30,38).…”