Kozicz Tamás
University of Pécs, Medical Faculty, Department of Human Anatomy, Pécs, Szigeti ut 12., H-7624, Hungary.
Eur J Neurosci. 2002 Sep;16(5):823-35. doi: 10.1046/j.1460-9568.2002.02129.x.
The bed nuclei of the stria terminalis (BST) are highly heterogeneous forebrain structures, which play a central role in the regulation/modulation of stress responses. Studies using the inducible immediate early gene c-fos as a marker of activated neurons have demonstrated significant stress-induced neuronal activation in this limbic region. The BST also exhibit a dense network of dopamine and noradrenaline immunoreactive (ir) axon terminals. These catecholaminergic projections from various brainstem sources to the BST play an important role in a neurochemically mediated coordination of stress responses. In the anterolateral division of bed nuclei of the stria terminalis, the distribution of several Met-enkephalin immunopositive perikarya overlaps with that of catecholaminergic axon terminals. Both monoaminergic and enkephalinergic structures have been postulated to play a role in the regulation/modulation of the central regulatory pathways of endocrine, behavioural and physiological responses during stress. Therefore the aims of this study were: (i). to study the possible involvement of dopaminergic fibre terminals in stress-induced activation of BST perikarya; (ii). to investigate whether Met-enkephalin-immunoreactive neurons are recruited by acute volumen/osmotic challenge; and (iii). to demonstrate synaptic interactions between Met-enkephalin-ir neurons and fibre terminals immunopositive for dopamine or noradrenaline in the anterolateral division of the BST. From the results of this study we can conclude that depletion of dopamine in fibre terminals completely abolished stress-induced activation of perikarya in the anterolateral division of BST. Furthermore, the innervation of stress-induced Met-enkephalin-ir perikarya by dopaminergic fibre terminals in the oval nucleus of BST was demonstrated, whereas noradrenergic axons contacted enkephalinergic structures in the fusiform and subcomissural nuclei of BST. These interactions can be central in the modulatory control of the major stress regulatory pathway, the limbic hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis.
终纹床核（BST）是高度异质性的前脑结构，在应激反应的调节/调制中起核心作用。使用可诱导的即刻早期基因c-fos作为活化神经元标志物的研究表明，该边缘区域存在显著的应激诱导神经元活化。BST还呈现出密集的多巴胺和去甲肾上腺素免疫反应性（ir）轴突终末网络。这些来自各种脑干来源至BST的儿茶酚胺能投射在应激反应的神经化学介导协调中起重要作用。在终纹床核的前外侧部，几种甲硫氨酸脑啡肽免疫阳性核周体的分布与儿茶酚胺能轴突终末的分布重叠。单胺能和脑啡肽能结构均被认为在应激期间内分泌、行为和生理反应的中枢调节途径的调节/调制中起作用。因此，本研究的目的是：（i）. 研究多巴胺能纤维终末在应激诱导的BST核周体活化中的可能参与；（ii）. 研究急性容量/渗透压挑战是否会募集甲硫氨酸脑啡肽免疫反应性神经元；以及（iii）. 证明BST前外侧部中甲硫氨酸脑啡肽-ir神经元与多巴胺或去甲肾上腺素免疫阳性纤维终末之间的突触相互作用。从本研究结果可以得出结论，纤维终末中的多巴胺耗竭完全消除了BST前外侧部应激诱导的核周体活化。此外，还证明了BST椭圆形核中多巴胺能纤维终末对应激诱导的甲硫氨酸脑啡肽-ir核周体的支配，而去甲肾上腺素能轴突与BST梭形核和连合下核中的脑啡肽能结构接触。这些相互作用可能在主要应激调节途径——边缘下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴的调节控制中起核心作用。
