M_PM_215: Subcortical Connections of the Nucleus Accumbens in Rats and Human
Monday, April 28, 2025 1:50 PM to 3:20 PM · 1 hr. 30 min. (Europe/London)
Poster Zone 5
Traditional poster
Diffusion Tensor ImagingFluoro-Gold TracerNucleus AccumbensSubcortical AreasTractography
Information
The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is crucial for behaviors such as reward, motivation, satisfaction, and addiction. The NAc achieves its function via its cortical and subcortical connections. A better understanding of these connections is essential for insights into the neural circuits driving these behaviors and their disruption in disorders like depression, schizophrenia, and substance use. This study aims to show the subcortical connections of the NAc using retrograde fluoro-gold (FG) tracing in rats and examine these connections in healthy humans using 3-Tesla diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and tractography.
In this study, five male Wistar albino rats received FG injections into the NAc (Anteroposteriorly: 2.52, Mediolaterally: 3.36, Dorsoventrally: 5.20). FG-labeled neurons in the subcortical areas were identified using fluorescence microscopy with Paxinos Rat Brain Atlas. Further, the subcortical connections of the NAc in human DTI data were obtained from the Human Connectome Project and analyzed using diffusion spectrum imaging software.
FG injections revealed strong connections between the NAc and subcortical regions such as the hippocampus, thalamus, hypothalamus, and amygdala. Ipsilateral connections with the thalamus were identified in the paraventricular (PV), central medial (CM), centrolateral (CL), and mediodorsal (MD) nuclei. Hypothalamic connections were stronger ipsilaterally, with weaker contralaterally, in the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH), dorsal area (DA), perifornical part of the lateral hypothalamus (PeFLH), and posterior hypothalamic nucleus (PH). Amygdala connections were bilateral, but stronger on the injected side, with labeling in the lateral (La) and basolateral (BLA) nuclei. Bilateral connections with the hippocampus were observed, including the amygdalohippocampal area (AHi), field CA3, and pyramidal cell layer (Py). The DTI data in humans supported these findings.
The results of this study provide valuable insights into the functional role of the NAc in rats and human. Additionally, targeting the subcortical structures via deep brain stimulation may offer promising avenues for modulating NAc functions. Future research exploring the functional and molecular characteristics of these connections could further elucidate the neurobiological mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, ultimately informing therapeutic strategies.
Zahm DS, 1999. Functional-anatomical implications of the nucleus accumbens core and shell subterritories. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 877, pp.113–128.
Willis, M.A. & Haines, D.E., 2018. Chapter 31 - The limbic system. In: D.E. Haines & G.A. Mihailoff, eds. Fundamental Neuroscience for Basic and Clinical Applications (5th ed.). Elsevier, pp. 457-467.e1.
In this study, five male Wistar albino rats received FG injections into the NAc (Anteroposteriorly: 2.52, Mediolaterally: 3.36, Dorsoventrally: 5.20). FG-labeled neurons in the subcortical areas were identified using fluorescence microscopy with Paxinos Rat Brain Atlas. Further, the subcortical connections of the NAc in human DTI data were obtained from the Human Connectome Project and analyzed using diffusion spectrum imaging software.
FG injections revealed strong connections between the NAc and subcortical regions such as the hippocampus, thalamus, hypothalamus, and amygdala. Ipsilateral connections with the thalamus were identified in the paraventricular (PV), central medial (CM), centrolateral (CL), and mediodorsal (MD) nuclei. Hypothalamic connections were stronger ipsilaterally, with weaker contralaterally, in the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH), dorsal area (DA), perifornical part of the lateral hypothalamus (PeFLH), and posterior hypothalamic nucleus (PH). Amygdala connections were bilateral, but stronger on the injected side, with labeling in the lateral (La) and basolateral (BLA) nuclei. Bilateral connections with the hippocampus were observed, including the amygdalohippocampal area (AHi), field CA3, and pyramidal cell layer (Py). The DTI data in humans supported these findings.
The results of this study provide valuable insights into the functional role of the NAc in rats and human. Additionally, targeting the subcortical structures via deep brain stimulation may offer promising avenues for modulating NAc functions. Future research exploring the functional and molecular characteristics of these connections could further elucidate the neurobiological mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, ultimately informing therapeutic strategies.
Zahm DS, 1999. Functional-anatomical implications of the nucleus accumbens core and shell subterritories. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 877, pp.113–128.
Willis, M.A. & Haines, D.E., 2018. Chapter 31 - The limbic system. In: D.E. Haines & G.A. Mihailoff, eds. Fundamental Neuroscience for Basic and Clinical Applications (5th ed.). Elsevier, pp. 457-467.e1.
Theme
Neurons & Glia: physiology, cell-cell communication and plasticity
