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Multiple brain sites sensitive to feeding stimulation by opioid agonists: a cannula-mapping study
B G Stanley1, D Lanthier, S F Leibowitz
1Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10021.
Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior
|December 1, 1988
Summary
Brain opioid receptors influence feeding behavior. Specific areas in the hypothalamus, septum, and amygdala are key sites for opioid-stimulated feeding responses in rats.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Neuroscience
- Neuropharmacology
Background:
- Opioid receptors (mu, delta, kappa) are implicated in feeding behavior control.
- Limited data exists on the precise brain locations of these feeding-relevant opioid receptors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify specific brain regions where opioid receptors modulate feeding behavior.
- To investigate the anatomical distribution of feeding-stimulatory opioid receptor systems.
Main Methods:
- Microinjection of opioid agonists (morphine, DALA, MR 2034) into 15 distinct brain areas of satiated rats.
- Measurement of subsequent feeding responses to determine receptor localization.
Main Results:
- Morphine and (D-Ala2)-Met-enkephalinamide (DALA) elicited significant feeding in the paraventricular, dorsomedial, and lateral hypothalamus, septum, and amygdala.
- The opioid agonist MR 2034 produced smaller, less specific feeding responses.
- Hypothalamus, septum, and amygdala were identified as highly sensitive sites for opioid-induced feeding.
Conclusions:
- Opioid receptor systems stimulating feeding are located in multiple discrete brain areas.
- Specific sites within the hypothalamus, septum, and amygdala are critical for morphine- and DALA-induced feeding.
- These findings advance understanding of the neuroanatomical basis of opioid control over appetite.