ABSTRACT
The systemic administration of dopamine (DA) agonists, such as amphetamine and apomorphine, results in an increase in locomotor activity at lower doses, upon which stereotyped behaviors are superimposed at higher doses. These two distinct behavioral effects of DA agonists are thought to be subserved by release of DA from mesolimbic DA neurons innervating the nucleus accumbens (NAS) and nigrostriatal DA neurons innervating the caudatoputamen. The NAS is located deep in the forebrain, beneath the rostral-most part of the lateral ventricle and above the olfactory tubercle. The NAS gives rise to extensive direct as well as indirect projections onto autonomic and locomotor centers in the brainstem. The chapter examines the effects of restraint stress on DA utilization in the accumbal core and shell. It also examines the effects of the same stressor in the infralimbic, prelimbic, and combined dorsal anterior cingulate/medial precentral cortices.
