Ethanol-induced elevations of accumbal dopamine levels have been linked to the reinforcing properties of the drug. However, it has not yet been demonstrated where the primary point of action of ethanol is in the mesolimbic dopamine system, and there appear to be conflicting findings depending on methodology (electrophysiology, microdialysis, or intracranial self-administration). We have suggest...

It was found previously that unilateral destruction of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) facilitated behavioral responses (exploration, eating) induced by electrical stimulation of the contralateral VTA. The same effect occurred after unilateral injections of pharmacological agents, which led to a decrease in dopaminergic transmission in the VTA. While trying to explain the mechanism behind this...

Error detection is critical to the shaping of goal-oriented behavior. Recent studies in non-human primates delineated a circuit involving the lateral habenula (LH) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) in error detection. Neurons in the LH increased activity, preceding decreased activity in the VTA, to a missing reward, indicating a feedforward signal from the LH to VTA. In the current study we used...

Odor-preferences are usually influenced by life experiences. However, the neural circuit mechanisms remain unclear. The medial olfactory tubercle (mOT) is involved in both reward and olfaction, whereas the ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons are considered to be engaged in reward and motivation. Here, we found that the VTA (DAergic)-mOT pathway could be activated by diff...

Individuals display dramatic differences in social communication even within similar social contexts. Across vertebrates dopaminergic projections from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and midbrain central gray (GCt) strongly influence motivated, reward-directed behaviors. Norepinephrine is also rich in these areas and may alter dopamine neuronal activity. The present study was designed to provi...

BACKGROUND The activation of GABAB receptors in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) has been suggested to attenuate the rewarding properties of psychostimulants, including nicotine. However, the neurochemical mechanism that underlie this effect remains unknown. Since GABAB receptors modulate the release of several neurotransmitters in the mammalian brain, we have characterised the effect of the GA...

Systemic administration of cocaine is thought to decrease the firing rates of ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine (DA) neurons. However, this view is based on categorizations of recorded neurons as DA neurons using preselected electrophysiological characteristics lacking neurochemical confirmation. Without applying cellular preselection, we recorded the impulse activity of VTA neurons in resp...

24 Peripheral co-administration of amylin and leptin produces enhanced suppression of 25 food intake and body weight, but the central nuclei mediating these effects remain 26 unclear. As each of these peptides controls feeding via actions at the ventral 27 tegmental area (VTA), we tested the hypothesis that the VTA is a site of action for 28 the cooperative effects of leptin and amylin on energ...

BACKGROUND Impaired neuronal plasticity and, specifically, altered expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were shown to play a critical role in depressive behavior and the mechanism of various antidepressant treatments including electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Interestingly, opposing roles were suggested for BDNF in the hippocampus and the ventral tegmental area (VTA), while in...

BACKGROUND Previous work has shown that chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) induces increased phasic firing of ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine (DA) neurons that project to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) selectively in mice that are susceptible to the deleterious effects of the stress. In addition, acute optogenetic phasic stimulation of these neurons promotes susceptibility in animals expose...