The role of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in pain-induced aversive motivation

Abstract

Pain consists of sensory-discriminative and negative-emotional components. The negative-emotional component of pain is closely related to aversive motivation that promotes avoidance behaviors to escape from noxious stimuli and aversive learning to avoid the cue (conditioned stimulus) associated with noxious stimulation. Recent behavioral studies have revealed the brain regions that mediate the negative-emotional component of pain, including the anterior cingulate cortex, amygdala, and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). This review outlines the roles of peptidergic, glutamatergic and noradrenergic transmissions within the BNST in the negative-emotional component of pain and discusses the function of BNST neurons in the regulation of ventral tegmental area dopaminergic neurons, which have important roles in aversive and appetitive motivational systems.