[Abstract Title]. - Society for Neuroscience

i.v. sodium lactate. Recently, we reported that the anxiety-like responses observed in this model
have been localized to the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST; Johnson and Truitt et al
2008, Neuropsychopharmacology). Additionally, we demonstrated that all aspects of the lactateinduced
panic-like responses are blocked with systemic orexin (ORX) 1 receptor antagonists or
silencing of ORX gene. Here we investigate the role of ORX within the BNST in regulating
anxiety-like behaviors in this panic model. As previously observed, challenging panic-prone rats
(l-AG treated) with sodium lactate reduced social interaction (SI) time compared to pre-l-AG
responses, indicating an increase in anxiety-like behavior, which was blocked when the orexin 1
receptor antagonist (SB3344867), but not vehicle, was infused into the BNST prior to the lactate
challenge. In another experiment, we also determined that injecting an orexin 1 receptor agonist
(orexin A) into the BNST 30 min prior to SI testing reduced SI times compared to vehicle and
baseline SI times. These experiments suggest orexin is capable of inducing anxiety and that a
locus of this action is the BNST. Furthermore, the anxiety-like effects observed in the rat panicmodel
may be a result of orexin 1 receptor activation in the BNST. Activation of the orexin 1
receptor has been reported to specifically potentiate NMDA receptors but not AMPA receptors,
and NMDA activation in the BNST has been linked to increased anxiety/fear responses in the
BNST. Thus we further investigated the role of orexin in the BNST on NMDA receptors versus
AMPA receptor activation within the BNST using c-Fos as an indication of cellular responses.
Disclosures: W.A. Truitt , None; P.L. Johnson, None; Y. Lee, None; A.D. Dietrich,
None; S.D. Fitz, None; A.I. Molosh, None; A. Shekhar, None.
Poster
283. Stress-Regulated Pathways II
Time: Sunday, November 16, 2008, 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Program#/Poster#: 283.7/PP3
Topic: E.06.f. Stress modulated pathways
Support: Office of Naval Research N00014-02-1-0879 (HA & SJW)
L'Oréal USA Fellowship for Women in Science (SMC)
NIDA 5P01DA021633-02 (HA and SJW)
Title: High- and low-novelty seeking females exhibit different maternal styles: impact of crossfostering
on offspring‟s behavioral phenotype