Figure 5.

Proposed role of anterior bed nuclei of the stria terminalis (aBST) as an integrator of limbic forebrain influences on emotional stress-induced HPA output. Previous work of ours supports the pathways highlighted in red, with aBST providing an important source of GABAergic innervation of PVH, and relaying limbic cortical influences. Other forebrain cell groups known to influence HPA output (highlighted in black), notably via GC receptor-mediated negative feedback, also project to aBST, whose integrated output targets PVH directly. Like ventral subiculum (vSUB) and prelimbic cortex (PL), these regions do not provide any appreciable innervation of PVH, but do issue projections to the aBST. ACTH, adrenocorticotropic hormone; Amyg, amygdala; cc, corpus callosum; CRF, corticotropin-releasing factor; Glu, glutamate; HF, hippocampal formation; LS, lateral septum; ot, optic tract; Pit., pituitary gland; PVH, paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus; PVT, paraventricular thalamic nucleus.