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Salsolinol modulation of dopamine neurons.
Guiqin Xie1, Krešimir Krnjević, Jiang-Hong Ye
1Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, and Physiology, New Jersey Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Newark, NJ, USA ; Department of Physiology, Nanjing Medical University Nanjing, China.
Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience
|June 8, 2013
Summary
Salsolinol, a brain chemical formed from dopamine and ethanol, excites dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area. These actions involve multiple mechanisms, potentially explaining its rewarding effects.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurochemistry
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Salsolinol, a tetrahydroisoquinoline, is found in human and rat brains.
- It is formed from dopamine and acetaldehyde, ethanol's primary metabolite.
- Previous studies link salsolinol to the mesolimbic dopaminergic system.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the underlying neuronal mechanisms of salsolinol's action in the brain.
- To elucidate how salsolinol affects dopamine neurons in the posterior ventral tegmental area (pVTA).
Main Methods:
- Electrophysiological studies on acute brain slices from rats.
- Analysis of salsolinol's effects on dopamine neuron excitability and firing rate in the pVTA.
Main Results:
- Salsolinol increases the excitability and firing rate of dopamine neurons in the pVTA.
- Multiple pre- and post-synaptic mechanisms are involved, including neuron depolarization.
- Salsolinol disinhibits dopamine neurons via μ-opioid receptors and enhances glutamatergic transmission via dopamine type 1 receptors.
Conclusions:
- Salsolinol directly acts on dopamine neurons in the pVTA.
- The identified neuronal mechanisms provide insight into salsolinol's rewarding and reinforcing properties.
- These findings contribute to understanding the neurobiology of alcohol's effects.
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