Orexin B/hypocretin 2 increases glutamatergic transmission to ventral tegmental area neurons

Opioid Agonists Inhibit Glutamatergic Input to Ventral Tegmental Area Neurons”

Hypocretin /orexin preferentially activates caudomedial ventral tegmental area dopamine neurons.

The hypocretin/orexin (HCRT) neuropeptide system modulates behavioral state and state-dependent processes via actions on multiple neuromodulatory transmitter systems. Recent studies indicate that HCRT selectively increases dopamine (DA) neurotransmission within the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the shell subregion of the nucleus accumbens (NAs), but not the core subregion of the nucleus accumbens...

Salsolinol Facilitates Glutamatergic Transmission to Dopamine Neurons in the Posterior Ventral Tegmental Area of Rats

Although in vivo evidence indicates that salsolinol, the condensation product of acetaldehyde and dopamine, has properties that may contribute to alcohol abuse, the underlying mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. We have reported previously that salsolinol stimulates dopamine neurons in the posterior ventral tegmental area (p-VTA) partly by reducing inhibitory GABAergic transmission, and ...

A glutamatergic reward input from the dorsal raphe to ventral tegmental area dopamine neurons

Electrical stimulation of the dorsal raphe (DR) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) activates the fibres of the same reward pathway but the phenotype of this pathway and the direction of the reward-relevant fibres have not been determined. Here we report rewarding effects following activation of a DR-originating pathway consisting of vesicular glutamate transporter 3 (VGluT3) containing neurons th...

Both kappa and mu opioid agonists inhibit glutamatergic input to ventral tegmental area neurons.

The ventral tegmental area (VTA) plays a critical role in motivation and reinforcement. Kappa and mu opioid receptor (KOP-R and MOP-R) agonists microinjected into the VTA produce powerful and largely opposing motivational actions. Glutamate transmission within the VTA contributes to these motivational effects. Therefore information about opioid control of glutamate release onto VTA neurons is i...