Anterior thalamic paraventricular nucleus is involved in intermittent access ethanol drinking: role of orexin receptor 2.

ABSTRACT: The paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) has been shown to participate in hedonic feeding and is thought to influence drug seeking. This understudied nucleus contains anterior (aPVT) and posterior (pPVT) subregions, which receive dense projections from hypothalamic orexin/hypocretin (OX) but exhibit anatomical and functional differences. This study sought to characterize in Long-Evans rats the involvement of these PVT subregions and their OX receptor activity in consumption of the drug, ethanol. Compared with those maintained on water and chow only (water group), rats trained to drink pharmacologically relevant levels of ethanol (ethanol group) showed increased neuronal activation in the PVT, specifically the aPVT but not pPVT, as indicated by c-Fos immunoreactivity. Similar resul

SUBMITTER: Barson JR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4192116 | biostudies-literature | 2015 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature