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Stress Management and Meditation
Published in Mehwish Iqbal, Complementary and Alternative Medicinal Approaches for Enhancing Immunity, 2023
Initial proof has also revealed modifications in the structure of the cortex in those who performed meditation (mindfulness), such as, upon analysing the brains of 20 practitioners of extended mindfulness meditation, along with 15 control correspondent participants, Lazar et al. (Lazar et al. 2005) established raised thickness of the cortex in the sensory region and anterior insula amongst the meditators of mindfulness, the areas that are linked with perceiving external and internal physical sensations. Moreover, mindfulness meditators had greater prefrontal cortex regions, a region involved in cognitive processing and decision-making. Holzel et al. (2010) conducted MRI research in which 26 healthy people took part in almost two months of a mindfulness-based stress reduction course. Subsequent to the intervention, participants documented a reduction in stress, which was positively associated with the grey matter density of the RT basolateral amygdala. Particularly, the ‘more the level of stress reduced in subjects, [the] greater the reduction of grey matter density in RT amygdala'. These modifications in structure may act to ameliorate automatic configurations of emotional responsiveness.
Plant-Derived Compounds as New Therapeutics for Substance Use Disorders
Published in Namrita Lall, Medicinal Plants for Cosmetics, Health and Diseases, 2022
Kevin S. Murnane, Mary Frances Vest
These transitions from abuse to dependence likely involve extended neural systems. While dopaminergic projections from the VTA to NAcc form the core of the reward circuit, this circuit is highly modulated by extended limbic regions, including the amygdala, medial prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus. In this regard, neuronal projections from the basolateral amygdala to NAcc play an important role in processing reward-related cues and drug craving (Hsu et al., 2020). Likewise, the amygdala may be involved in drug cue reactivity as triggering environments can induce similar electrophysiological activity in the NAcc and amygdala (Hsu et al., 2020; Li et al., 2015; Venniro et al., 2020). The use of plant-derived medications that target the extended reward system and these additional neural substrates may be more promising than approaches that focus exclusively on the core dopamine reward system.
Central Nervous System Effects of Essential Oil Compounds
Published in K. Hüsnü Can Başer, Gerhard Buchbauer, Handbook of Essential Oils, 2020
Elaine Elisabetsky, Domingos S. Nunes
In a model of chronic inflammatory pain (complete Freund's adjuvant-induced) known to be anxiogenic, 16 had anxiolytic effects without being analgesic. The study showed that the model induced an imbalance between excitatory (upregulated GluR1 and NR2A glutamate receptors) and inhibitory (downregulated GABAA-α2 and GABAA-γ2 receptors) neurotransmission in the basolateral amygdala, a key area for anxiety. One-week treatment with 16 reversed the altered expressions of these proteins. Electrophysiological recordings showed that 16 treatment restored the excitation/inhibition balance by enhancing GABAergic neurotransmission and decreasing glutamatergic neurotransmission in the basolateral amygdala (Tian et al., 2017).
The amygdala in adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Structural and functional correlates of delay aversion
Published in The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry, 2020
Jeroen Van Dessel, Edmund Sonuga-Barke, Matthijs Moerkerke, Saskia Van der Oord, Jurgen Lemiere, Sarah Morsink, Marina Danckaerts
The amygdala is a heterogeneous structure that can be subdivided into 13 nuclei and has a variety of different neural cell types (Sah et al. 2003). Our detailed analysis of the amygdala sub-regions indicated that volume reductions were specific for the cortex-amygdala transition area, while the functional hyperactivity to delay-related cues was most prominent in the basolateral amygdala. Each of these regions has a unique function within the amygdala. The cortex–amygdala transition area plays a role in behavioural responses to emotionally arousing circumstances, and has substantial projections to the basal nuclei, whereas the basolateral amygdala stimulates the stress response and receives sensory information directly from the temporal lobe and hippocampus (Cádiz-Moretti et al. 2016; Cho et al. 2013). Interestingly, also these two brain regions showed significantly smaller GM volumes for adolescents with ADHD compared to matched controls. Animal models will need to be developed to provide insight into the neural systems of cellular dysregulation that underlie the behavioural alterations associated with ADHD.
Chronic intermittent ethanol administration differentially alters DeltaFosB immunoreactivity in cortical-limbic structures of rats with high and low alcohol preference
Published in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 2019
Tatiana Wscieklica, Luciana Le Sueur-Maluf, Leandro Prearo, Rafael Conte, Milena de Barros Viana, Isabel Cristina Céspedes
A heavy episodic drinking pattern is considered an initial step in developing alcohol use disorder and is known to impair neuroplasticity (12). Koob and Volkow (5) have described specific cerebral areas and complex neurocircuits involved in the three phases related to substance use disorder. The intoxication phase mainly involves the reward system (ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens) and positive reinforcement through use of the substance. The amygdala (particularly the central division) plays a key role in the withdrawal phase or absence of the substance. Associated with the hypothalamus and brainstem, the amygdala promotes negative feelings and stress, which are powerful inducers of the use of substances as a negative reinforcement. Our research group previously showed the role of the medial amygdala in this negative emotional context (13). The prefrontal cortex (orbital, medial or prelimbic/infralimbic and cingulate) and hippocampus are known to have a key role in the craving phase and the preoccupation with drug acquisition. The basolateral amygdala also participates in this phase. According to Millan et al. (14), the prelimbic cortex is associated with drug seeking behavior, and the infralimbic cortex is related to the extinction of this behavior.
Genetic and epigenetic studies of opioid abuse disorder – the potential for future diagnostics
Published in Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics, 2023
Sarah Abdulmalek, Gary Hardiman
The amygdala is part of the medial temporal lobe that was considered, initially, to play a restricted role of aversive learning and fear conditioning. However, recent research has unveiled the crucial contribution of the amygdala in appetitive learning and its role in mediating goal-directed and adaptive behavior [10,20]. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) receives glutamatergic projections from the thalamic and cortical regions, which are reciprocated. It also unidirectionally projects to the central nucleus (CeN), NAc, and the dorsomedial striatum. Dopaminergic and serotonergic innervations to the amygdala comes from the VTA and the dorsal raphe, respectively [10,26].