RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Nucleus Accumbens Medium Spiny Neurons Target Non-Dopaminergic Neurons in the Ventral Tegmental Area
JF The Journal of Neuroscience
JO J. Neurosci.
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP 7811
OP 7816
DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1504-11.2011
VO 31
IS 21
A1 Yanfang Xia
A1 Joseph R. Driscoll
A1 Linda Wilbrecht
A1 Elyssa B. Margolis
A1 Howard L. Fields
A1 Gregory O. Hjelmstad
YR 2011
UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/31/21/7811.abstract
AB The midbrain ventral tegmental area (VTA) projection to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) is implicated in motivation and reinforcement. A significant number of NAc medium spiny neurons (MSNs) project back to the VTA, although the nature of this projection is essentially unknown. For example, do NAc MSNs directly target accumbens-projecting dopamine neurons and do they act via the GABAA or GABAB receptor? To address these issues, we expressed the light-sensitive channel rhodopsin-2 in the rat NAc and made electrophysiological recordings from VTA neurons ex vivo. We found that the NAc directly targets non-dopaminergic VTA neurons, including some that project back to the NAc. These MSN GABAergic terminals are opioid sensitive and act via GABAA receptors.