Opioids in the perifornical lateral hypothalamus suppress ethanol drinking

Orexin-induced feeding requires NMDA receptor activation in the perifornical region of the lateral hypothalamus.

Food intake is stimulated following administration of orexin-A into the perifornical region of the lateral hypothalamus (LH/PFA). Orexin neurons originating in the LH/PFA interact with a number of hypothalamic systems known to influence food intake, including glutamatergic neurons. Glutamatergic systems in the LH/PFA were demonstrated to initiate feeding through N-methyl-d-aspartic acid (NMDA) ...

The median preoptic nucleus reciprocally modulates activity of arousal-related and sleep-related neurons in the perifornical lateral hypothalamus.

The perifornical-lateral hypothalamic area (PF/LH) contains neuronal groups playing an important role in control of waking and sleep. Among the brain regions that regulate behavioral states, one of the strongest sources of projections to the PF/LH is the median preoptic nucleus (MnPN) containing a sleep-active neuronal population. To evaluate the role of MnPN afferents in the control of PF/LH n...

Nociceptin Induces Hypophagia in the Perifornical and Lateral Hypothalamic Area

Nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) is known to induce food intake when administered into the lateral ventricle or certain brain areas. This is somewhat contradictory to its reward-suppressing role, as food is a strong rewarding stimulus. This discrepancy may be due to the functional diversity of N/OFQ's target brain areas. N/OFQ has been shown to inhibit orexin and melanin-concentrating hormone (MC...

Antagonism of orexin receptors in the posterior hypothalamus reduces hypoglossal and cardiorespiratory excitation from the perifornical hypothalamus.

The perifornical (PF) region of the posterior hypothalamus promotes wakefulness and facilitates motor activity. In anesthetized rats, local disinhibition of PF neurons by GABA(A) receptor antagonists activates orexin (OX) neurons and elicits a systemic response, including increases of hypoglossal nerve activity (XIIa), respiratory rate, heart rate, and blood pressure. The increase of XIIa is me...

Endogenous Opioids and Voluntary Ethanol Drinking Consequences of Postnatal Environmental Influences in Rats