[Effects of motivational and emotional factors on glutamate release in the nucleus accumbens of rats during feeding].

Food intake was shown to decrease the glutamate extracellular level in the nucleus accumbens in both deprived and non-deprived Spraque-Dawly rats. Feeding combined with presentation of a tone previously paired with foot shock caused an increase in the glutamate extracellular level in deprived rats only, whereas the tone alone had no effect. The data suggest that emotional and motivational variations exert co-operative effect on the glutamate release in the nucleus accumbens during feeding.