This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Carelli, R. M. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Carelli, R. M. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

The Nucleus Accumbens and Reward: Neurophysiological Investigations in Behaving Animals

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The nucleus accumbens (Acb) is a crucial component of the brain reward system. This report reviews electrophysiological studies that examined Acb cell firing during goal-directed behaviors for natural reinforcers (food, water, sucrose) and drugs of abuse (cocaine, heroin, ethanol). Studies that examined the role of environmental stimuli and operant contingencies on Acb activity during behavior are also explored. Given the extensive literature that links dopamine in the Acb with drug reinforcement, experiments are considered that examined the influence of dopamine in modulating Acb cell firing during drug-seeking behaviors. Finally, because the Acb is one neural substrate of a larger brain reward circuit, the influence of afferent input (hippocampus and prefrontal cortex) on Acb cell firing during behavior is also discussed. These findings provide a unique insight into the cellular mechanisms underlying reward-related processing and goal-directed behaviors and reveal a level of functional organization in the Acb not identified by other experimental approaches.

Key Words: cocaine • chronic recording • dopamine • electrophysiology • reinforcement

Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Reviews, Vol. 1, No. 4, 281-296 (2002)
DOI: 10.1177/1534582302238338


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. M. Gustin, P. J. Wrigley, P. J. Siddall, and L. A. Henderson Brain Anatomy Changes Associated with Persistent Neuropathic Pain Following Spinal Cord Injury Cereb Cortex, October 8, 2009; (2009) bhp205v1. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. E. Covington III, I. Maze, Q. C. LaPlant, V. F. Vialou, Y. N. Ohnishi, O. Berton, D. M. Fass, W. Renthal, A. J. Rush III, E. Y. Wu, et al. Antidepressant Actions of Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors J. Neurosci., September 16, 2009; 29(37): 11451 - 11460. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Miller and J. Roache Benefits of Topiramate Treatment in a Dual-Diagnosis Patient Psychosomatics, July 1, 2009; 50(4): 426 - 427. [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. M. Carelli and J. Wondolowski Selective Encoding of Cocaine versus Natural Rewards by Nucleus Accumbens Neurons Is Not Related to Chronic Drug Exposure J. Neurosci., December 3, 2003; 23(35): 11214 - 11223. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. M. Carelli, J. G. Williams, and J. A. Hollander Basolateral Amygdala Neurons Encode Cocaine Self-Administration and Cocaine-Associated Cues J. Neurosci., September 10, 2003; 23(23): 8204 - 8211. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]