A5071751702- Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Receptor Mechanisms and Signaling
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Sleep and Wakefulness Research
- Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Neuropeptides and Animal Physiology
- Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
- Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Circadian rhythm and melatonin
- Pain Mechanisms and Treatments
- Neuroscience of respiration and sleep
- Neural dynamics and brain function
- Photoreceptor and optogenetics research
- Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques
- Adipose Tissue and Metabolism
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Neurological disorders and treatments
- Sleep and related disorders
- Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Gene expression and cancer classification
- Traumatic Brain Injury and Neurovascular Disturbances
- Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
- Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Study
University of Maryland, Baltimore
2023-2024
Medical University of South Carolina
2014-2023
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
2006-2015
Harvard University
2006-2015
National Institutes of Health
2012
National Institute on Drug Abuse
2009-2012
Johns Hopkins University
2006-2009
Saint Louis University
2009
University of Washington
2006
Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center
2005
Abstract Prior studies revealed that aversive stimuli and psychostimulant drugs elicit Fos expression in neurons clustered above behind the interpeduncular nucleus project strongly to ventral tegmental area (VTA) substantia nigra (SN) compacta (C). Other reports suggest these modulate responses stimuli. We now designate region containing them as “mesopontine rostromedial nucleus” (RMTg) report herein on its neuroanatomy. Dense μ‐opioid receptor somatostatin immunoreactivity characterize...
Recent evidence suggests that dopamine plays an important role in arousal, but the location of dopaminergic neurons may regulate arousal remains unclear. It is sometimes assumed ventral tegmental area project to prefrontal cortex and striatum state arousal; however, firing these does not correlate with overall levels behavioral wakefulness. We identified wake-active by combining immunohistochemical staining for Fos tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) awake sleeping rats. Approximately 50%...
Lateral habenula (LHb) neurons signal negative “reward-prediction errors” and inhibit midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons. Yet LHb are largely glutamatergic, indicating that this inhibition may occur through an intermediate structure. Recent studies in rats have suggested a candidate for role, the GABAergic rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), but neural pathway has not yet been tested directly. We now show using electrophysiology anatomic tracing (1) monkey inhibitory structure similar to rat...
Many strong rewards, including abused drugs, also produce aversive effects that are poorly understood. For example, cocaine can conditioning after its rewarding have dissipated, consistent with opponent process theory, but the neural mechanisms involved not well known. Using electrophysiological recordings in awake rats, we found some neurons lateral habenula (LHb), where activation produces conditioning, exhibited biphasic responses to single doses of intravenous cocaine, an initial...
Significance Cocaine addiction is a major public health problem with no current pharmacotherapy approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. To accelerate discovery of treatments, we developed an animal model based on economics. Economics allows mathematical alignment human behavior, permitting more confident predictions efficacy in addicts. Although economic models are strongly associated severity humans, they have not yet been shown to be marker rats. In this report, confirm that...
The lateral habenula (LHb) is part of the complex dorsal thalamus. Recent studies LHb have focused on its projections to ventral tegmental area (VTA) and rostromedial nucleus (RMTg), which contain γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic neurons that mediate reward prediction error via inhibition dopaminergic activity. However, older in rat also identified outputs posterior hypothalamus, median raphe, tegmentum. Although these shown medial divisions somewhat distinct projections, topographic...
The subparaventricular zone of the hypothalamus (SPZ) is main efferent target neural projections from suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and an important relay for circadian timing system. Although SPZ fairly homogeneous cytoarchitecturally neurochemically, it has been divided into distinct functional connectional subdivisions. dorsal subdivision (dSPZ) plays role in relaying signals SCN controlling body temperature rhythms, while ventral (vSPZ) critical rhythms sleep locomotor activity (Lu et...
Motivational states consist of cognitive, emotional, and physiological components controlled by multiple brain regions. An integral component this neural circuitry is the bed nucleus stria terminalis (BNST). Here, we identify that neurons within BNST express gene prepronociceptin (PnocBNST) modulate rapid changes in arousal occur upon exposure to motivationally salient stimuli. Using vivo two-photon calcium imaging, find PnocBNST neuronal responses directly correspond with increases...
Clinical and preclinical studies indicate that adaptations in corticostriatal neurotransmission significantly contribute to heroin relapse vulnerability. In animal models, self-administration extinction produce cellular both neurons astrocytes within the nucleus accumbens (NA) core are required for cue-induced seeking. Specifically, decreased glutamate clearance reduced association of perisynaptic astrocytic processes with NAcore synapses allow release from prelimbic (PrL) cortical terminals...
Aversive, positive prediction error (+PE) provides a mechanism to update and increase future fear uncertain threat predictors. The ventrolateral periaqueductal grey (vlPAG) has been offered as neural locus for +PE computation. Yet, causal demonstration of vlPAG activity remains elusive. We devised discrimination procedure in which danger cue predicts shock deterministically an uncertainty probabilistically, requiring errors achieve appropriate response. Recording single-unit during...
Background While the rewarding effects of alcohol contribute significantly to its addictive potential, it is becoming increasingly appreciated that alcohol's aversive properties also play an important role in propensity drink. Despite this, neurobiological mechanism for actions not well understood. The rostromedial tegmental nucleus ( RMT g) was recently characterized involvement signaling and has been shown encode cocaine, yet have elucidated. Methods Adult male female Long–Evans rats...
Lateral habenula (LHb) neurons are activated by negative motivational stimuli and play key roles in the pathophysiology of depression. Prior reports suggested that rostral entopeduncular nucleus (rEPN) drive these responses LHb rostromedial tegmental (RMTg), but influences remain untested. Using rabies viral tracers, we demonstrate disynaptic projections from rEPN to RMTg, not VTA, via rats. vivo electrophysiology, find or subpopulations exhibit activation/inhibition patterns after...
Suppression of dangerous or inappropriate reward-motivated behaviors is critical for survival, whereas therapeutic recreational opioid use can unleash detrimental behavioral actions and addiction. Nevertheless, the neuronal systems that suppress maladaptive motivated remain unclear, whether opioids disengage those unknown. In a mouse model using two-photon calcium imaging in vivo, we identify paraventricular thalamostriatal ensembles are inhibited upon sucrose self-administration seeking,...