Erection is basically a spinal reflex that can be initiated by recruitment of penile afferents, both autonomic and somatic, and supraspinal influences from visual, olfactory, and imaginary stimuli. Several central transmitters are involved in the erectile control. Dopamine, acetylcholine, nitric oxide(NO), and peptides, such as oxytocin and ...

Glutamate Transmission in the Nucleus Accumbens Mediates Relapse in Cocaine Addiction Jennifer L Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425 Elevated dopamine transmission in the nucleus accumbens in the nucleus accumbens, is a primary mediator of cocaine- induced reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior

... GLU projections from the neo- or allocortex have been found to terminate in nucleus accumbens and other forebrain and hypothalamic nuclei. ...

The experimental question is whether hypothalamic opioids, known to stimulate consummatory behavior, control a link to the nucleus accumbens (NAc). It was hypothesized that opioids injected in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) alter the balance of dopamine (DA) and acetylcholine (ACh) in the NAc in a manner that fosters appetite for food or ...

The goldfish is one of the few animals exceptionally well analyzed in behavioral experiments and also in electrophysiological and neuroanatomical investigations of the retina. To get insight into the functional organization of the retina we studied color vision, motion detection and temporal resolution before and after intra-ocular injection of neuropharmaca with known effects on retinal neurons. ...

Endocannabinoids are the endogenous ligands for the cannabinoid receptors type 1 and 2. These membrane receptors are responsible for the psychotropic effects of Cannabis Sativa, when bound to its active component known as (-)-Delta(9)-tetrahydro-cannabinol. Cannabinoid receptors, endocannabinoids and the enzymes catalyzing their biosynthesis and degradation, constitute the endocannabinoid system ...

Reward intake optimization requires a balance between exploiting known sources of rewards and exploring for new sources. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) and associated basal ganglia circuits are likely candidates as neural structures responsible for such balance, while the hippocampus may be responsible for spatial/contextual information. Although studies have ...

To appropriately respond to an affective stimulus, we must be able to track its value across changes in both the external and internal environment. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a critical component of reward circuitry, but recent work suggests that the NAc encodes aversion as well as reward. It remains unknown whether differential NAc activity reflects flexible changes in ...

Impaired glutamate homeostasis in the nucleus accumbens has been linked to cocaine relapse in animal models, and results in part from cocaine-induced downregulation of the cystine-glutamate exchanger. In addition to regulating extracellular glutamate, the uptake of cystine by the exchanger is a rate-limiting step in the synthesis of glutathione (GSH). GSH is critical for ...