Attenuation of the anxiogenic effects of cocaine by 5-HT autoreceptor stimulation in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis of rats.

Rationale: Cocaine produces significant aversive/anxiogenic actions whose underlying neurobiology remains unclear. A possible substrate contributing to these actions is the serotonergic (5-HT) pathway projecting from the dorsal raphé (DRN) to regions of the extended amygdala, including the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) which have been implicated in the production of anxiogenic states.

Objectives: The present study examined the contribution of 5-HT signaling within the BNST to the anxiogenic effects of cocaine as measured in a runway model of drug self-administration.