Transient Inactivation of Shell Part of Nucleus Accumbens Inhibits and Exacerbates Stress-Induced Metabolic Alterations in Wistar Rats

The role of different parts of the extended amygdala in metabolic signs of stress is not well understood. In the present study, we decided to evaluate the impact of the shell part of nucleus accumbens (NAc) on metabolic disturbance induced by electro foot shock stress using transient inactivation method in the rat.
Male Wistar rats (W: 230-250 g) were canuulated unilaterally in the shell part of nucleus accumbens and left one week for recovery. Five minutes before each stress session, the animals either received sterile saline (0.25 µl/side) (control) or lidocaine 2% (0.25 µl/side) (experiment). Blood samples were taken from rats’ retro-orbital sinus for plasma corticosterone measurements. In addition, animals’ weight gain, food and water intake, locomotor activity, and rearing were recorded.
Stress reduced weight gain and food intake, increased water intake and plasma corticosterone level, and reduces locomotor activity and rearing. Transient inactivation of the right side of the NAc inhibits the stress effect on weight gain, water intake and plasma corticosterone level, but not food intake. However, when the left side of the NAc was inactivated, only weight gain was affected and other parameters were not differing from stress group. Even thought, the plasma corticosterone level was elevated.
In conclusion, our data indicated that right side of shell part of NAc transient inactivation leads to reduction in metabolic signs of stress but left side of shell part of the NAc inactivation even exacerbates stress signs.