Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Brain Res. 2011 Mar 25;1382:118-27. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2010.11.092. Epub 2010 Dec 4.
Amphetamine, which is known to cause sensitization, potentiates the hormonal and neurobiological signatures of stress and may also increase sensitivity to stress-inducing stimuli in limbic areas. Trimethylthiazoline (5μL TMT) is a chemical constituent of fox feces that evokes innate fear and activates the neuronal and hormonal signatures of stress in rats. We used blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) MRI to test whether amphetamine sensitization (1mg/kg, i.p. ×3days) in female rats has a lasting effect on the neural response to a stress-evoking stimulus, the scent of a predator, during the postpartum period. The subiculum and dopamine-enriched midbrain VTA/SN of amphetamine-sensitized but not control mothers showed a greater BOLD signal response to predator odor than a control putrid scent. The greater responsiveness of these two brain regions following stimulant sensitization might impact neural processing in response to stressors in the maternal brain.
安非他命会导致敏感化，增强应激的激素和神经生物学特征，并且还可能增加边缘区域中应激诱导刺激的敏感性。三甲噻嗪（5μL TMT）是狐狸粪便的一种化学成分，能引起先天恐惧，并在大鼠中激活应激的神经元和激素特征。我们使用血氧水平依赖（BOLD）MRI 来测试雌性大鼠的安非他命敏化（1mg/kg，腹腔注射×3 天）是否会对产后期间引起应激的刺激（捕食者的气味）的神经反应产生持久影响。与恶臭气味相比，安非他命敏化但不是对照母亲的伏隔核和多巴胺丰富的中脑 VTA/SN 对捕食者气味的 BOLD 信号反应更大。这两个脑区在兴奋剂敏化后的反应性增加可能会影响母体大脑对应激源的神经处理。
