Atypical antipsychotics show preferential 5-HT 2A versus dopamine (DA) D2 receptor affinity. At clinical doses, they fully occupy cortical 5-HT2 receptors, which suggests a strong relationship with their therapeutic action. Half of the pyramidal neurones in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) express 5-HT 2A receptors. Also, neurones excited through 5-HT 2A receptors project to the ventral tegm...

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is highly activated by stress and modulates neuroendocrine and autonomic function. Dopaminergic inputs to mPFC facilitate coping ability and demonstrate considerable hemispheric functional lateralization. The present study investigated the potentially lateralized regulation of stress responses at the level of mPFC output neurons, using ibotenic acid lesions. ...

Increase in dopamine output on corticolimbic structures, such as medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and nucleus accumbens, has been related to reward effects associated with palatable food or food presentation after a fasting period. The endocannabinoid system regulates feeding behavior through a modulatory action on different neurotransmitter systems, including the dopaminergic system. To elucida...

Glutamatergic signaling in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays a critical role in drug addiction and relapse. The mPFC is functionally subdivided into dorsal (prelimbic, PL) and ventral (infralimbic, IL) regions, and evidence suggests a differential role of these two divisions in the control of drug seeking and taking; however, there is a dearth of information on the cocaine-induced adapt...

Despite decades of research, the neural mechanisms of spatial working memory remain poorly understood. Although the dorsal hippocampus is known to be critical for memory-guided behavior, experimental evidence suggests that spatial working memory depends not only on the hippocampus itself, but also on the circuit comprised of the hippocampus and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Disruption of...

In various permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drive applications the torque dynamics are an important performance criterion. Here, time-optimal control (TOC) methods can be utilized to achieve highest dynamics. Applying state-of-the-art TOC leads unintended overcurrents and over- undershoots during transient operation. To prevent these characteristics while still achieving model predicti...

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is involved in high-order cognitive processes, including, but not limited to, decision making, goal directed behavior, and working memory. Although previous reports have included descriptions of mPFC projections to the thalamus in overall examinations of mPFC projections throughout the brain, no previous study has comprehensively examined mPFC projections to ...

Performance of memory tasks is impaired by lesions to either the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) or the hippocampus (HPC); although how these two areas contribute to successful performance is not well understood. mPFC unit activity is temporally affected by hippocampal-theta oscillations, with almost half the mPFC population entrained to theta in behaving animals, pointing to theta interactions...

Decreased medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) neuronal activity is associated with social defeat-induced depression- and anxiety-like behaviors in mice. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the decreased mPFC activity and its prodepressant role remain unknown. We show here that induction of the transcription factor ΔFosB in mPFC, specifically in the prelimbic (PrL) area, mediates susceptibi...

Brain circuits involved in pattern completion, or retrieval of memory from fragmented cues, were investigated. Using different versions of the Morris water maze, we explored the roles of the CA3 subregion of the hippocampus and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in spatial memory retrieval under various conditions. In a hidden platform task, both CA3 and mPFC lesions disrupted memory retrieval...