Cited by 377Cannabis and Cannabinoid ResearchNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorOlfactory and Sensory Function Studies

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Endocannabinoid Hedonic Hotspot for Sensory Pleasure: Anandamide in Nucleus Accumbens Shell Enhances ‘Liking’ of a Sweet Reward

Mahler, Stephen V, Smith, Kyle S, Berridge, Kent C·2007·Neuropsychopharmacology

DOI 10.1038/sj.npp.1301376

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Abstract

Cannabinoid drugs such as Delta9-THC are euphoric and rewarding, and also stimulate food intake in humans and animals. Little is known about how naturally occurring endogenous brain cannabinoids mediate pleasure from food or other natural sensory rewards. The taste reactivity paradigm measures effects of brain manipulations on affective orofacial reactions to intraorally administered pleasant and unpleasant tastes. Here we tested if anandamide microinjection into medial nucleus accumbens shell enhances these affective reactions to sweet and bitter tastes in rats. Anandamide doubled the number of positive 'liking' reactions elicited by intraoral sucrose, without altering negative 'disliking' reactions to bitter quinine. Anandamide microinjections produced Fos plumes of approximately 0.02-1 mm3 volume. Plume-based maps, integrated with behavioral data, identified the medial shell of accumbens as the anatomical hotspot responsible for hedonic amplification. Anandamide produced especially intense hedonic enhancement in a roughly 1.6 mm3 'hedonic hotspot' in dorsal medial shell, where anandamide also stimulated eating behavior. These results demonstrate that endocannabinoid signals within medial accumbens shell specifically amplify the positive hedonic impact of a natural reward (though identification of the receptor specificity of this effect will require future studies). Identification of an endocannabinoid hotspot for sensory pleasure gives insight into brain mechanisms of natural reward, and may be relevant to understanding the neural effects of cannabinoid drugs of abuse and therapeutic agents.

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Authors: Mahler, S. V., Smith, K. S., & Berridge, K. C.
Affiliations: University of Michigan (US)
ORCID: Mahler, Stephen V
Smith, Kyle S
Berridge, Kent C
Venue: Neuropsychopharmacology
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published: 2007-04-04
Volume: 32
Issue: 11
Pages: 2267-2278
ISSN: 0893-133X (ISSN-L)
1740-634X
DOI: 10.1038/sj.npp.1301376
OpenAlex: W2096012985
Semantic Scholar: c3722206c8cdf7589109f0c15c2ec82f8c398a76
Cited by: 377
References: 60
Citations by year: 2026: 8 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 22 · 2017: 22 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 24 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 24 · 2012: 33
FWCI: 15.07
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
Locations: Neuropsychopharmacology (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders: National Institutes of Health (DC00011)
National Institute of Mental Health (MH063649, R01MH063649)
National Institute on Drug Abuse (DC00011, DA021481, DA015188, R01DA015188, F31DA021481)
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (DC-00011)
Topics: Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology (medical) › Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research
Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Sensory Systems › Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies
Keywords: anandamide, endocannabinoids, nucleus accumbens shell, sensory pleasure, taste reactivity, sucrose, quinine, Fos expression, natural reward, dietary habits
MeSH terms: Analysis of Variance, Animals, Arachidonic Acids, Behavior, Animal, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Feeding Behavior, Food Preferences, Gene Expression Regulation, Male, Microinjections, Nucleus Accumbens, Reaction Time, Reward, Sucrose, Sweetening Agents, Taste, Oncogene Proteins v-fos, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Rats, Polyunsaturated Alkamides, Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators, Endocannabinoids

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Endocannabinoid Hedonic Hotspot for Sensory Pleasure: Anandamide in Nucleus Accumbens Shell Enhances ‘Liking’ of a Sweet Reward

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