Hedonic Hot Spot in Nucleus Accumbens Shell: Where Do μ-Opioids Cause Increased Hedonic Impact of Sweetness?

Mu-opioid systems in the medial shell of the nucleus accumbens contribute to hedonic impact ("liking") for sweetness, food, and drug rewards. But does the entire medial shell generate reward hedonic impact? Or is there a specific localized site for opioid enhancement of hedonic "liking" in the medial shell? And how does enhanced taste hedonic impact relate to opioid-stimulated increases in food intake? Here, we used a functional mapping procedure based on microinjection Fos plumes to localize opioid substrates in the medial shell of the nucleus accumbens that cause enhanced "liking" reactions to sweet pleasure and that stimulate food intake. We mapped changes in affective orofacial reactions of…

• NI
  National Institutes of Health

  Awards: MH63649, DA015188, DA015188 and MH63649