Food intake after diazepam, morphine or muscimol: microinjections In the nucleus accumbens shell

This study examined the effect on food intake of bilateral microinfusions of the benzodiazepine agents, diazepam and midazolam, the opioid agonist, morphine, and the GABA(A) agonist, muscimol into the shell of the nucleus accumbens in rats. Both muscimol (at 0.075 microg, combined bilateral dose) and morphine (1.0 microg) in the nucleus accumbens shell increased feeding as expected. However, it was clear that diazepam (2.5, 5.0, 25, 50 microg) and midazolam (7.5 microg) both failed to enhance feeding even at doses that are effective when microinjected in the brain stem. We conclude that opioid and GABA(A) agents promote feeding behavior by acting on receptors in the nucleus accumbens shell, but that benzodiazepines probably act elsewhere in the brain to increase food intake.