Abstract
The central nucleus of the amygdala (CEA) and lateral bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BST) are highly interconnected limbic forebrain regions that share similar connectivity with other brain regions that coordinate behavioral and physiological responses to internal and environmental stressors. Their similar connectivity is frequently referred to when describing the CEA and lateral BST together as a unified “central extended amygdala”. However, the CEA and BST reportedly play distinct roles in behavioral and physiological responses associated with fear, anxiety, and social defeat, presumably due to differences in connectivity. To identify common and unique sources of input to the CEA and lateral BST, we performed dual retrograde tracing. Fluorogold and cholera toxin β were iontophoresed into the medial CEA (CEAm) and the anterior ventrolateral BST (BSTvl) of adult male rats. The anatomical distribution of tracer-labeled neurons was mapped throughout the brain. Regions with overlapping populations of CEAm- and BSTvl-projecting neurons were further examined for the presence of double-labeled neurons. Although most regions with input to the mCEA also projected to the BSTvl, and vice versa, cortical and sensory system-related regions projected more robustly to the CEAm, while motor system-related regions primarily innervated the BSTvl. The incidence of double-labeled neurons with collateralized axonal inputs to the CEAm and BSTvl was relatively small (~2 to 13%) and varied across regions, suggesting regional differences in the degree of coordinated CEAm and BSTvl input. The demonstrated similarities and differences in inputs to CEAm and BSTvl provide new anatomical insights into the functional organization of these limbic forebrain regions.
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Abbreviations
- ACBsh:
-
Nucleus accumbens, shell division
- aco:
-
Anterior commissure
- AI:
-
Agranular insular cortex
- amc:
-
Amygdalar capsule
- AP:
-
Area postrema
- AStr:
-
Amygdala-striatal transition area
- Aud:
-
Auditory thalamus
- BLAp:
-
Basolateral amygdalar nucleus, posterior part
- BMA:
-
Basomedial amygdalar nucleus
- BST:
-
Bed nucleus of stria terminalis
- pBST:
-
Posterior subnuclei group of the bed nucleus of stria terminalis
- BSTvl:
-
Ventrolateral subnuclei group of the bed nucleus of stria terminalis
- CA1:
-
Field CA1, Ammon’s horn
- cc:
-
Corpus callosum
- CEA:
-
Central amygdalar nucleus
- CEAm:
-
Central amygdalar nucleus, medial part
- CEAl:
-
Central amygdalar nucleus, lateral part
- CLI:
-
Central linear nucleus raphé
- cpd:
-
Cerebral peduncle
- DI:
-
Dysgranular insular cortex
- DMX:
-
Dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus
- DR:
-
Dorsal nucleus raphé
- dscp:
-
Superior cerebellar peduncle decussation
- ec:
-
External capsule
- fx:
-
Fornix
- ILA:
-
Infralimbic area
- IMD:
-
Intermediodorsal nucleus thalamus
- IPAC:
-
Interstitial nucleus of the posterior limb of the anterior commissure
- LHA:
-
Lateral hypothalamic area
- LS:
-
Lateral septal nucleus
- mcp:
-
Middle cerebellar peduncle
- MD:
-
Mediodorsal nucleus thalamus
- ml:
-
Medial lemniscus
- mlf:
-
Medial longitudinal fascicle
- mPFC:
-
Medial prefrontal cortex
- MPO:
-
Medial preoptic area
- MTN:
-
Midline thalamic nuclei
- NLOT:
-
Nucleus of the lateral olfactory tract
- NTS:
-
Nucleus of the solitary tract
- och:
-
Optic chiasm
- opt:
-
Optic tract
- PA:
-
Posterior amygdalar nucleus
- PAGvl:
-
Periaqueductal gray, ventrolateral division
- PB:
-
Parabrachial nucleus
- PBle:
-
Parabrachial nucleus, external lateral part
- PBlv:
-
Parabrachial nucleus, ventral lateral part
- PBm:
-
Parabrachial nucleus, medial part
- PBw:
-
Parabrachial nucleus, waist part
- PL:
-
Prelimbic area
- PPN:
-
Pedunculopontine nucleus
- PSTN:
-
Parasubthalamic nucleus
- PVN:
-
Paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus
- PVT:
-
Paraventricular thalamic nucleus
- py:
-
Pyramid
- scp:
-
Superior cerebellar peduncle
- SI:
-
Substantia innominata
- sm:
-
Stria medullaris
- SNc:
-
Substantia nigra, compact part
- SNr:
-
Substantia nigra, reticular part
- SPFpm:
-
Subparafascicular nucleus thalamus, parvicellular part, medial division
- st:
-
Stria terminalis
- STN:
-
Subthalamic nucleus
- TR:
-
Postpiriform transition area
- V4:
-
Fourth ventricle
- VLM:
-
Ventrolateral medulla
- VP:
-
Ventral pallidum
- VPMpc:
-
Ventral posteromedial nucleus thalamus, parvicellular part
- VTA:
-
Ventral tegmental area
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Acknowledgments
We thank Vicki Maldovan and Li Cai for their expert technical assistance in this study. This research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (MH59911 and DK063922). Research supported by NIH grant MH59911 to L.R. and NIH grant DK063922 to M.B.
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Bienkowski, M.S., Rinaman, L. Common and distinct neural inputs to the medial central nucleus of the amygdala and anterior ventrolateral bed nucleus of stria terminalis in rats. Brain Struct Funct 218, 187–208 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-012-0393-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-012-0393-6