Dopamine-Sensitive Anterior Cingulate Cortical Glucose-Monitoring Neurons as Potential Therapeutic Targets for Gustatory and Other Behavior Alterations

Background: The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is known for its involvement in various regulatory functions, including in the central control of feeding. Activation of local elements of the central glucose-monitoring (GM) neuronal network appears to be indispensable in these regulatory processes. Destruction of these type 2 glucose transporter protein (GLUT2)-equipped chemosensory cells results in multiple feeding-associated functional alterations. Methods: In order to examine this complex symptomatology, (1) dopamine sensitivity was studied in laboratory rats by means of the single-neuron-recording multibarreled microelectrophoretic technique, and (2) after local bilateral microinjection of the selective type 2 glucose transporter proteindemolishing streptozotocin (STZ), open-field, elevated plus maze, two-bottle and taste reactivity tests were performed. Results: A high proportion of the anterior cingulate cortical neurons changed their firing rate in response to microelectrophoretic administration of D-glucose, thus verifying them as local elements of the central glucose-monitoring network. Approximately 20% of the recorded cells displayed activity changes in response to microelectrophoretic application of dopamine, and almost 50% of the glucose-monitoring units here proved to be dopamine-sensitive. Moreover, taste stimulation experiments revealed even higher (80%) gustatory sensitivity dominance of these chemosensory cells. The anterior cingulate cortical STZ microinjections resulted in extensive behavioral and taste-associated functional deficits. Conclusions: The present findings provided evidence for the selective loss of glucose-monitoring neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex leading to motivated behavioral and gustatory alterations. This complex dataset also underlines the varied significance of the type 2 glucose transporter protein-equipped, dopamine-sensitive glucose-monitoring neurons as potential therapeutic targets. These units appear to be indispensable in adaptive control mechanisms of the homeostatic-motivational-emotional-cognitive balance for the overall well-being of the organism.