adenosine acts as neuromodulator in the brain, which its involvement in a wide range of brain processes and diseases has been studied, such as epilepsy, sleep, anxiety, panic disorder, alzheimer’s disease, parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia. adenosine receptors have been detected: a1r, a2ar (a2ar), a2br, and a3r. a1r and a2r inhibit camp production, while a2ar and a2br stimulate camp product...

Various kinds of stress are thought to precipitate psychiatric disorders, such as major depression. Whereas studies in rodents have suggested a critical role of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in stress susceptibility, the mechanism of how stress susceptibility is determined through mPFC remains unknown. Here we show a critical role of prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), a bioactive lipid derived from...

The mesocortical pathway projecting from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays a critical role in a number of cognitive and emotional processes. While this pathway has been traditionally viewed as dopaminergic, recent data indicate that a considerable proportion of rostromedial VTA neurons possess markers for glutamate transmission. However, the relative density ...

Adenosine acts as neuromodulator in the brain, which its involvement in a wide range of brain processes and diseases has been studied, such as epilepsy, sleep, anxiety, panic disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia. Adenosine receptors have been detected: A1R, A2AR (A2AR), A2BR, and A3R. A1R and A2R inhibit cAMP production, while A2AR and A2BR stimulate cAMP product...

The mesocortical dopaminergic pathway projecting from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the prefrontal cortex (PFC) contributes to the processing of reward signals. This pathway is regulated by gonadal steroids including estradiol. To address the putative role of estradiol and isotype-selective estrogen receptor (ER) agonists in the regulation of the rodent mesocortical system, we combined fM...

Adolescence is a crucial developmental period characterized by specific behaviors reflecting the immaturity of decision-making abilities. However, the maturation of precise cognitive processes and their neurobiological correlates at this period remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate whether a differential developmental time course of dopamine (DA) pathways during late adolescence could ...

The mesotelencephalic dopamine (DA) system is heterogeneous with respect to nuclei, terminal loci, DA receptor subtypes, electrophysiological characteristics and response patterns, and neuropharmacological response to a range of agents. The majority of mesocortical and mesolimbic DA neurons originate in the ventral tegmental area. Mesostriatal DA neurons originate in substantia nigra pars compa...

Many cortical and prefrontal functions show sex differences in their development, adult capacity, and dysfunction in disorders like schizophrenia. Correlations between circulating gonadal hormones and certain prefrontal functions have also been identified in humans and experimental animal models. Although multiple mechanisms may be involved, such hormone sensitivities/sex differences could be r...

VANDERBILT REVIEWS | NEUROSCIENCE VOLUME 1 | MAY 2009 | 17 ©2009 Vanderbilt Brain Institute. All rights reserved. Dopaminergic neurons originate mainly from two midbrain regions, the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). SNc neurons project to the dorsal caudate nuclei of the striatum, forming the nigrostriatal pathway. The striatum participates in extrapyra...

The neurotransmitter dopamine and its role in neurological diseases The biogenic catecholamine dopamine (DA) functions mainly as a neurohormone and neurotransmitter. It also functions as an intermediary step in the biosynthesis of norepinephrine and epinephrine, structurally similar catecholamines that serve as cell regulators and neurotransmitters in mammals. The neurotransmitter function of D...