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Activating μ-opioid receptors (MOPRs) in the lateral parabrachial nucleus increases c-Fos expression in forebrain areas associated with caloric regulation, reward and cognition
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Activating μ-opioid receptors (MOPRs) in the lateral parabrachial nucleus increases c-Fos expression in forebrain areas associated with caloric regulation, reward and cognition

M. Denbleyker, Dm Nicklous, Pj Wagner, Hg Ward and Kj Simansky
Neuroscience, v 162(2), pp 224-233
05 May 2009
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2009.04.071
PMID: 19422884
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
url
https://europepmc.org/articles/pmc3391596View
Accepted (AM)Open Access (License Unspecified),  Open

Abstract

Article
The pontine parabrachial nucleus (PBN) has been implicated in the modulation of ingestion and contains high levels of μ-opioid receptors (MOPRs). In previous work, stimulating MOPRs by infusing the highly selective MOPR agonist [d-Ala2,N-Me-Phe4,Gly5-ol]enkephalin (DAMGO) into the lateral parabrachial region (LPBN) increased food intake. The highly selective MOPR antagonist d-Phe-Cys-Trp-Arg-Thr-Pen-Thr-NH2 (CTAP) prevented the hyperphagic action of DAMGO. The present experiments aimed to analyze both the pattern of neural activation and the underlying cellular processes associated with MOPR activation in the LPBN. Male Sprague-Dawley rats received a unilateral microinfusion of a nearly maximal hyperphagic dose of DAMGO into the LPBN. We then determined the level of c-Fos immunoreactivity in regions throughout the brain. MOPR activation in the LPBN increased c-Fos in the LPBN and in the nucleus accumbens, hypothalamic arcuate nucleus, paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus and hippocampus. Pretreatment with CTAP prevented the increase in c-Fos translation in each of these areas. CTAP also prevented the coupling of MOPRs to their G-proteins which was measured by [35S]GTPγS autoradiography. Together, these data strongly suggest that increasing the coupling of MOPRs to their G-proteins in the LPBN disinhibits parabrachial neurons which subsequently leads to excitation of neurons in regions associated with caloric regulation, ingestive reward and cognitive processes in feeding.

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