Extracellular glutamate in the nucleus accumbens during a conditioned emotional response in the rat

In vivo microdialysis combined with HPLC-EC analysis was used to monitor extracellular glutamate and GABA in the medial nucleus accumbens of Lister hooded rats during acquisition and expression of a conditioned emotional response. Footshock paired with tone (acquisition of conditioned emotional response) causes a significant decrease in extracellular glutamate during the period of footshock followed by a marked, but short lasting increase when the rats return to their home cage. Expression of the conditioned emotional response on exposure to the contextual cue produces no change in glutamate during exposure to the contextual cue, but a short lasting increase after. Thus, both the conditioned emotional response and footshock are associated with marked, but short lasting, increases in extracellular glutamate in the nucleus accumbens which, in both cases, occurred after the aversive stimuli, i.e., when the rats are returned to their home cage. In contrast, when control rats are exposed to the testing box without giving footshock there is an increase in extracellular glutamate during the exposure period and this is accompanied by exploratory behaviour. The conditioned emotional response (contextual cue), footshock and exposure of the control rats to the test box all resulted in increased extracellular GABA during exposure to the test situation. These results suggest that increases in extracellular glutamate in the medial nucleus accumbens caused by the conditioned emotional response or footshock are probably associated with relief from, rather than response to danger.