A5045219347- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Receptor Mechanisms and Signaling
- Neural dynamics and brain function
- Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Photoreceptor and optogenetics research
- Ion channel regulation and function
- Sleep and Wakefulness Research
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies
- Neuroscience and Neural Engineering
- Neurological disorders and treatments
- Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Study
- Neuropeptides and Animal Physiology
- Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
- Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
- Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
- Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Tryptophan and brain disorders
- Sleep and related disorders
- Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research
- Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
- Pharmacological Receptor Mechanisms and Effects
- Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques
National Institute on Drug Abuse
2012-2022
Global Institutes on Addictions
2019-2022
Fondazione ISAL
2020-2021
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
2020
National Institutes of Health
2012-2020
Johns Hopkins University
2011-2019
Johns Hopkins Medicine
2011-2019
Georgetown University
2018-2019
University of Maryland, Baltimore
2018-2019
Georgetown University Medical Center
2018-2019
Rewarding Bursts of Dopamine Dopaminergic neurons are thought to be involved in the cognitive and hedonic underpinnings motivated behaviors. However, it is still unclear whether dopaminergic neuron activation sufficient elicit reward-related behavior which type neuronal activity pattern serves this purpose. Tsai et al. (p. 1080; published online 23 April) directly compared tonic versus phasic firing cells ventral tegmental area, effects on both dopamine release. Using a transgenic system...
The chemogenetic technology DREADD (designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs) is widely used for remote manipulation of neuronal activity in freely moving animals. posits the use "designer receptors," which are drug" clozapine N-oxide (CNO). Nevertheless, vivo mechanism action CNO at DREADDs has never been confirmed. does not enter brain after systemic drug injections and shows low affinity DREADDs. Clozapine, to rapidly converts vivo, high potency. Upon injections,...
Coincident signaling by dopamine and glutamate is thought to be crucial for a variety of motivated behaviors. Previous work has suggested that some midbrain neurons are themselves capable corelease, but this phenomenon remains poorly understood. Here, we expressed the light-activated cation channel Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) in genetically defined stimulate exocytosis specifically from dopaminergic terminals both nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell dorsal striatum brain slices adult mice. Optical...
Phasic activation of dopaminergic neurons is associated with reward-predicting cues and supports learning during behavioral adaptation. While noncontingent in the ventral tegmental are (VTA) sufficient for passive conditioning, it remains unknown whether phasic signal truly reinforcing. In this study, we first targeted expression channelrhodopsin-2 to VTA optimized optogenetically evoked dopamine transients. Second, showed that freely moving mice causally enhances positive reinforcing...
The basal ganglia (BG) are critical for adaptive motor control, but the circuit principles underlying their pathway-specific modulation of target regions not well understood. Here, we dissect mechanisms BG direct and indirect pathway-mediated control mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR), a brainstem that is locomotion. We optogenetically function three neurochemically distinct cell types within MLR: glutamatergic, GABAergic, cholinergic neurons. find glutamatergic subpopulation encodes state...
Orexin A/hypocretin-1 (oxA/hcrt-1) is known to be a modulator of dopamine-dependent neuronal activity and behaviors. However, the role this system in driving motivated behaviors remains poorly understood. Here, we show that orexin/hypocretin receptor-1 (ox/hcrt-1R) signaling important for motivation highly salient, positive reinforcement. Blockade ox/hcrt-1R selectively reduced work self-administer cocaine or high fat food pellets. Moreover, oxA/hcrt-1 strengthened presynaptic glutamatergic...
Using sensory information for the prediction of future events is essential survival. Midbrain dopamine neurons are activated by environmental cues that predict rewards, but cellular mechanisms underlie this phenomenon remain elusive. We used in vivo voltammetry and vitro patch-clamp electrophysiology to show both release reward predictive enhanced synaptic strength onto develop over course cue-reward learning. Increased was not observed after stable behavioral responding. Thus, may act...
Recent animal studies demonstrate that compulsive cocaine seeking strongly reduces prelimbic frontal cortex activity, while optogenetic stimulation of this brain area significantly inhibits seeking, providing a strong rationale for applying to reduce consumption. Thus, we employed repetitive transcranial magnetic (rTMS), test if dorsolateral prefrontal (DLPFC) might prevent use in humans. Thirty-two cocaine-addicted patients were randomly assigned either the experimental group (rTMS) on left...
Dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) are implicated affective functions. However, it is unclear to what extent dopamine substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) play such roles. TH-Cre transgenic mice received adeno-associated viral vectors encoding channelrhodopsin2 (ChR2), halorhodopsin (NpHR), or control vector into VTA SNc, resulting selective expression of these opsins neurons. Mice with ChR2 learned instrumental responding deliver photostimulation SNc and also sought for...