Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Glutamatergic regulation of extracellular citrulline levels in the nucleus accumbens during an emotional conditioned reflex

  • Published:
Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Intracerebral microdialysis and high-performance liquid chromatography were used to demonstrate that the acquisition and execution of an emotional conditioned reflex in Sprague-Dawley rats are accompanied by increases in extracellular citrulline (a co-product of nitric oxide synthesis) levels in the nucleus accumbens. Injection of the selective NMDA glutamate receptor antagonist MK-801 (100 µM) into the nucleus accumbens significantly decreased the increase in extracellular citrulline seen in this structure on acquisition of the emotional conditioned reflex and completely blocked the increase induced by execution of the reflex. These data suggest that during the acquisition and execution of an emotional conditioned revels, the glutamatergic input of the nucleus accumbens acts on NMDA receptors to stimulate nitric oxide production in this part of the brain.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. S. A. Savel’ev, N. S. Repkina, and N. B. Saul’skaya, “A sensitive method for estimating citrulline during vital monitoring of nitric oxide production in the CNS,” Ros. Fiziol. Zh. im. I. M. Sechenova, 91, No. 5, 587–591 (2005).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. N. B. Saul’skaya, S. A. Savel’ev, N. A. Solov’eva, and N. V. Fofonova, “NO synthase-dependent increase in extracellular citrulline levels in the nucleus accumbens during an emotional conditioned response,” Ros. Fiziol. Zh. im. I. M. Sechenova, 92, No. 6, 700–708 (2006).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. J. E. Brenman and D. S. Bredt, “Synaptic signaling by nitric oxide,” Curr. Opin. Neurobiol., 7, 374–378 (1997).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. S. J. French, G. P. Ritson, S. Hidaka, and S. Totterdell, “Nucleus accumbens nitric oxide immunoreactive interneurons receive nitric oxide and ventral subicular afferens in rats,” Neurosci., 135, 121–131 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. J. Garthwaite, “Glutamate, nitric oxide and cell-cell signaling in the nervous system,” Trends Neurosci., 14, 60–67 (1991).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. K. N. Gracy and V. M. Pickel, “Ultrastructural localization and comparative distribution of nitric oxide synthase and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors in the shell of the rat nucleus accumbens,” Brain Res., 747, 259–272 (1997).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. A. E. Kelley, “Neural integrative activities of the nucleus accumbens subregions in relation to learning and motivation,” Psychobiology, 27, No. 2, 198–213 (1999).

    Google Scholar 

  8. N. S. Pentkowski, D. C. Blanchard, C. Lever, Y. Litvin, and R. J. Blanchard, “Effects of lesions to the dorsal and ventral hippocampus on defensive behaviors in rats,” Eur. J. Neurosci., 23, 2185–2196 (2006).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. S. Reynolds and K. C. Berridge, “Fear and feeding in the nucleus accumbens shell: rostrocaudal segregation for GABA-elicited defensive behavior versus eating behavior,” J. Neurosci., 21, 3261–3270 (2001).

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. G. Riedel, N. R. Harrington, G. Hall, and E. M. Macphail, “Nucleus accumbens lesions impair context, but not cue, conditioning in rats,” Neuroreport, 8, 2477–2481 (1997).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. M. F. Roitman, R. A. Wheeler, and R. M. Carelli, “Nucleus accumbens neurons are innately tuned for rewarding and aversive taste stimuli, encode their predictors, and are linked to motor output,” Neuron, 45, No. 587, 597 (2004).

    Google Scholar 

  12. J. D. Salamone and M. Correa, “Motivation views of reinforcement: implications for understanding the behavioral functions of nucleus accumbens dopamine,” Behav. Brain Res., 137, 3–25 (2002).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. N. Saulskaya and C. A. Marsden, “Conditioned dopamine release: dependence upon N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors,” Neurosci., 67, 57–63 (1995).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. N. Saulskaya and C. A. Marsden, “Extracellular glutamate in the nucleus accumbens during a conditioned emotional response in rats,” Brain Res., 698, 114–120 (1995).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. N. B. Saulskaya and N. V. Fofonova, “Effects of N-Methyl-D-aspartate on extracellular citrulline level in the rat nucleus accumbens,” Neurosci. Lett., 407, 91–95 (2006).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. I. P. Pavlov Institute of Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 6 Makarov Bank, 199034, St. Petersburg, Russia

    N. B. Saul’skaya, N. V. Fofonova & S. A. Savel’ev

Authors
  1. N. B. Saul’skaya
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. N. V. Fofonova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. S. A. Savel’ev
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to N. B. Saul’skaya.

Additional information

__________

Translated from Rossiiskii Fiziologicheskii Zhurnal imeni I. M. Sechenova, Vol. 93, No. 6, pp. 635–642, June, 2007.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Saul’skaya, N.B., Fofonova, N.V. & Savel’ev, S.A. Glutamatergic regulation of extracellular citrulline levels in the nucleus accumbens during an emotional conditioned reflex. Neurosci Behav Physi 38, 487–492 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11055-008-9006-5

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11055-008-9006-5

Key words

Search

Navigation