Dopaminergic (DA) midbrain neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) are involved in various brain functions such as voluntary movement and reward and are targets in disorders such as Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia. To study the functional properties of identified DA neurons in mouse midbrain slices, we combined patch-clamp recordings with either neurobiotin c...

Anxiety is a common disease in the modern society which significantly affects people’s daily lives and function, thus it has become an increasingly highlighted issue. regulated by neural circuits brain. Therefore, basal mechanism of anxiety been studied, especially research based on related circuits. For long time, due to limitations science technology, there was no breakthrough regarding anxie...

COMPARISON OF AFFECTIVE ANALGESIA AND CONDITIONED PLACEPREFERENCE FOLLOWING CHOLINERGIC ACTIVATION OFVENTRAL TEGMENTAL AREA SUBREGIONSby ELENA SCHIFIRNEŢDecember 2010Advisor: Dr. George S. BorszczMajor: Psychology (Behavioral & Cognitive Neuroscience)Degree: Doctor of PhilosophyActivation of the dopaminergic mesolimbic reward circuitry that originates in the ...

In addition to dopamine neurons, the ventral tegmental area (VTA) contains GABA-, glutamate- and co-releasing neurons, and recent reports suggest a complex role for the glutamate neurons in behavioural reinforcement. We report that optogenetic stimulation of VTA glutamate neurons or terminals serves as a positive reinforcer on operant behavioural assays. Mice display marked preference for brief...

this study has examined the functional importance of nucleus accumbens (nac)-ventral tegmental area (vta) interactions. as it is known, this interaction is important in associative reward processes. under urethane anesthesia, extracellular single unit recordings of the shell sub-region of the nucleus accumbens (nacsh) neurons were employed to determine the functional contributions of the vta to...

Dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) receive cholinergic innervation from brainstem structures associated with either movement or reward. While cholinergic neurons of the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) carry an associative/motor signal, those of the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus (LDT) convey limbic information. Here we used optogenetic methods combined with in vivo juxtacellula...

Ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons are crucial for appetitive responses to Pavlovian cues, including cue-induced reinstatement of drug seeking. However, it is unknown which VTA inputs help activate these neurons, transducing stimuli into salient cues that drive drug-seeking behavior. Here we examined 56 VTA afferents from forebrain and midbrain that are Fos activated during cue-induc...

Background: Nicotine can activate dopaminergic neurons within the ventral tegmental area (VTA). However, there is no evidence about complete inhibition of VTA on nicotine reinforcement. Methods: in the present study, we used conditioned-place preference (CPP) method to study the effect of transient inhibition of left and/or right side of the VTA by lidocaine on nicotine reward properties. Male ...

The mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system is involved in the rewarding process of drugs of abuse and is activated during the anticipation of drug availability. However, the neurocircuitry that regulates ethanol (EtOH)-seeking has not been adequately investigated. The objectives of the present study were to determine 1) whether the posterior ventral tegmental area (p-VTA) mediates EtOH-seeking, 2) whe...

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...