34th Annual UMBC McNair & Undergraduate Research National Conference

The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is an important part of the extended amygdala,
an area that conducts instant stress reactions, which helps to manage reward-related behaviors,
motivation, and stress responses. The BNST utilizes a set of neurons that express corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), a stress hormone, to send signals across the brain when faced with consistent difficult situations. These have been found to be connected to symptoms often seen in mood disorders, such as reduced motivation and reduced reward acceptance.
However, it is unknown what structures BNST-CRF neurons communicate with to create stress
responses. Their projections to regions such as the nucleus accumbens (NAc), an area implicated in motivation, and the ventral tegmental area (VTA), an area tied to reward consumption, lack sufficient characterization. Our aim in this study is to investigate BNST-CRF-expressing neuron projections with the use of viral circuit tracing; the use of viruses to track neurons within the brain, answering the question: “Where do BNST-CRF neurons project to?” We hypothesize that we will achieve better characterization of the
NAc and the VTA, as well as create better projection data for other areas.