Projection from basolateral amygdala to nucleus accumbens

[kristylmw]

Dear community

I am an Honours student working on rat brain circuits, ans I am trying to examine projections between the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and the nucleus accumbens (NAc). In the Allen mouse data, I did not observe any BLA→NAc connection. However, Tian et al. (2024) reported BLA→NAc projections, which makes me wonder whether there are specific datasets, methods, or conditions under which this pathway is detected. I’d be very grateful if anyone could share evidence of BLA→NAc connectivity (e.g., tracer datasets, atlas references). Any pointers or specific references would be a great help.

Thank you so much in advance.

[Susan.Sunkin]

Hi,

Thank you for your question. Here is the response to your inquiry from one of our neuroanatomists:

In the Allen Mouse Brain Connectivity Atlas, the BLA injection case (ID:113144533) with anterograde AAV tracer shows projections to bilateral NA with ipsilateral predominance. The shell of NA receives stronger input than the core of NA (NAc) (see the attached image).

Thank you