Astrocytes mediate long-lasting synaptic regulation of ventral tegmental area dopamine neurons.
Nat Neurosci
; 25(12): 1639-1650, 2022 12.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36396976
ABSTRACT
The plasticity of glutamatergic transmission in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) represents a fundamental mechanism in the modulation of dopamine neuron burst firing and phasic dopamine release at target regions. These processes encode basic behavioral responses, including locomotor activity, learning and motivated behaviors. Here we describe a hitherto unidentified mechanism of long-term synaptic plasticity in mouse VTA. We found that the burst firing in individual dopamine neurons induces a long-lasting potentiation of excitatory synapses on adjacent dopamine neurons that crucially depends on Ca2+ elevations in astrocytes, mediated by endocannabinoid CB1 and dopamine D2 receptors co-localized at the same astrocytic process, and activation of pre-synaptic metabotropic glutamate receptors. Consistent with these findings, selective in vivo activation of astrocytes increases the burst firing of dopamine neurons in the VTA and induces locomotor hyperactivity. Astrocytes play, therefore, a key role in the modulation of VTA dopamine neuron functional activity.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Área Tegmentar Ventral
/
Neurônios Dopaminérgicos
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Nat Neurosci
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article