Countervailing modulation of Ih by neuropeptide Y and corticotrophin-releasing factor in basolateral amygdala as a possible mechanism for their effects on stress-related behaviors.

ABSTRACT: Stress and anxiety-related behaviors controlled by the basolateral amygdala (BLA) are regulated in vivo by neuropeptide Y (NPY) and corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF): NPY produces anxiolytic effects, whereas CRF produces anxiogenic effects. These opposing actions are likely mediated via regulation of excitatory output from the BLA to afferent targets. In these studies, we examined mechanisms underlying the effects of NPY and CRF in the BLA using whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology in rat brain slices. NPY, even with tetrodotoxin present, caused a dose-dependent membrane hyperpolarization in BLA pyramidal neurons. The hyperpolarization resulted in the inhibition of pyramidal cells, despite arising from a reduction in a voltage-dependent membrane conductance. The Y(1) receptor agoni

SUBMITTER: Giesbrecht CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3432911 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature