Medial prefrontal cortical output neurons to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and their responses to burst-patterned stimulation of the VTA: Neuroanatomical and in vivo electrophysiological analyses

Abstract Prefrontal cortex (PFC) is highly influenced by the inputs from ventral tegmental area (VTA); however, how the projection from VTA impacts PFC neurons and how the synaptically released dopamine affects PFC activity are largely unclear. Using optogenetics and electrophysiological approaches, we examined the impact of VTA stimulation on PFC principal neurons and parvalbumin-positive (PV+) interneurons and the modulatory role of dopamine. We found that the brief activation of the VTA–PFC circuit immediately induced action potential firing, which was mediated by glutamatergic transmission. However, strong stimulation of VTA gradually induced a marked and prolonged enhancement of the excitability of PFC PV+ interneurons and a modest and short-lived enhancement of the excitability of PFC principal neurons. Blocking dopamine receptors (DARs) shortened the VTA excitation of PFC PV+ interneurons and prolonged the VTA excitation of PFC principal neurons. Blocking GABAA receptors induced a similar effect as DAR antagonists in PFC principal neurons, suggesting that the dopaminergic effect is through influencing the inhibitory transmission system. These results have revealed a role of dopamine in regulating the temporal dynamics of excitation/inhibition balance in VTA–PFC circuit, which provides insights into the functional consequence of activating dopamine system in the mesocortical system.

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Increased in vivo tyrosine hydroxylase activity in rat telencephalon produced by self-stimulation of the ventral tegmental area

Brain Research ◽

10.1016/0006-8993(87)91053-5 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 402 (1) ◽

pp. 109-116 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Anthony G. Phillips ◽

Alexander Jakubovic ◽

Hans C. Fibiger

Keyword(s):

Tyrosine Hydroxylase ◽

Ventral Tegmental Area ◽

Hydroxylase Activity ◽

Tyrosine Hydroxylase Activity ◽

Ventral Tegmental ◽

Self Stimulation ◽

Stimulation Of

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Prefrontal cortical up states are synchronized with ventral tegmental area activity.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.1144869.601959 ◽

2009 ◽

Author(s):

John Lisman

Keyword(s):

Ventral Tegmental Area ◽

Prefrontal Cortical ◽

Up States ◽

Ventral Tegmental

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Electrical stimulation of the ventral tegmental area induces reanimation from general anesthesia.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.718230967.793498856 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Stan Leung ◽

Tao Luo

Keyword(s):

Electrical Stimulation ◽

General Anesthesia ◽

Ventral Tegmental Area ◽

Ventral Tegmental ◽

Stimulation Of

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A probabilistic atlas of the human ventral tegmental area (VTA) based on 7 Tesla MRI data

Brain Structure and Function ◽

10.1007/s00429-021-02231-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 226 (4) ◽

pp. 1155-1167 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Anne C. Trutti ◽

Laura Fontanesi ◽

Martijn J. Mulder ◽

Pierre-Louis Bazin ◽

Bernhard Hommel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ventral Tegmental Area ◽

Region Of Interest ◽

Reward Processing ◽

7 Tesla ◽

Subcortical Structures ◽

7 Tesla Mri ◽

Subcortical Nuclei ◽

Ventral Tegmental ◽

The Brain

AbstractFunctional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) BOLD signal is commonly localized by using neuroanatomical atlases, which can also serve for region of interest analyses. Yet, the available MRI atlases have serious limitations when it comes to imaging subcortical structures: only 7% of the 455 subcortical nuclei are captured by current atlases. This highlights the general difficulty in mapping smaller nuclei deep in the brain, which can be addressed using ultra-high field 7 Tesla (T) MRI. The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is a subcortical structure that plays a pivotal role in reward processing, learning and memory. Despite the significant interest in this nucleus in cognitive neuroscience, there are currently no available, anatomically precise VTA atlases derived from 7 T MRI data that cover the full region of the VTA. Here, we first provide a protocol for multimodal VTA imaging and delineation. We then provide a data description of a probabilistic VTA atlas based on in vivo 7 T MRI data.

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