The anterior midline cortex and adaptation to stress ulcers in rats.

Rats with bilateral radio-frequency lesions of the anterior midline cortex were subjected to either single or repeated immobilization stress treatments. As previously demonstrated, the lesions greatly reduced gastric pathology in the acute stress treatment. Conversely, the lesions were found to aggravate gastric pathology in animals stressed repeatedly, thus eliminating the adaptive (i.e., pathology-reducing) effects of repeated stress seen in controls. The role of the anterior midline cortex in stress and stress adaptation is discussed with reference to noradrenergic mechanisms.