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Reward and aversion in a heterogeneous midbrain dopamine system.
Stephan Lammel1, Byung Kook Lim, Robert C Malenka
1Nancy Pritzker Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, 265 Campus Drive, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
Neuropharmacology
|April 13, 2013
Summary
The ventral tegmental area (VTA) has diverse dopamine (DA) neuron groups. Stress and cocaine impact these VTA circuits, affecting reward and aversion processing in neuropsychiatric disorders.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurobiology of Motivation and Reward
Background:
- The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is crucial for motivation and reward.
- Dysfunctional VTA dopamine (DA) neurons are linked to addiction and depression.
- Recent research reveals heterogeneity within midbrain DA subpopulations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review advances in understanding VTA neural circuits for reward and aversion.
- To explore how stress and drugs of abuse alter VTA circuit function.
- To highlight the role of DA subpopulations in processing rewarding and aversive stimuli.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent neurobiological studies.
- Analysis of neural circuit mechanisms.
- Focus on VTA dopamine neuron heterogeneity.
Main Results:
- The VTA comprises distinct DA subpopulations with varied projections.
- These subpopulations contribute to processing both rewarding and aversive events.
- Stress and cocaine significantly alter circuit function in the heterogeneous midbrain DA system.
Conclusions:
- Understanding VTA DA heterogeneity is key to explaining complex reward/aversion processing.
- Altered VTA circuit function by stress and drugs of abuse has implications for neuropsychiatric disorders.
- This review emphasizes the dynamic nature of midbrain DA systems.
Keywords:
AADCAMPARATP sensitive potassium channelAversionBLACLiCMChR2D2RDADATDopamineGADIFIPNKATPLDTLHbMSNMTMesocorticalMesolimbicN-methyl-d-aspartateNAcNMDARPBPPFCPNRLiRMTgRRFRewardSNSNcSNrTHVGluT2VMAT2VTAVentral tegmental areaamino acid decarboxylasebasolateral amygdalacaudal linear nucleuschannelrhodopsin 2dopaminedopamine D2 receptordopamine transporterfasciculus retroflexusfrglutamic acid decarboxylaseinterfascicular nucleusinterpeduncular nucleuslVTAlateral VTAlateral habenulalaterodorsal tegmentummVTAmammillary bodymedial VTAmedial lemniscusmedial terminal nucleus of the accessory optical tractmedium spiny neuronmlnucleus accumbensparabrachial pigmented nucleusparanigral nucleusprefrontal cortexretrorubral fieldrostral linear nucleus of the rapherostromedial tegmental nucleussubstantia nigrasubstantia nigra pars reticulatasubstantia nirgra pars compactatyrosine hydroxylaseventral tegmental areavesicular glutamate transporter 2vesicular monoamine transporter 2α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor
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