Circuit Architecture of VTA Dopamine Neurons Revealed by Systematic Input-Output Mapping.
Cell
; 162(3): 622-34, 2015 Jul 30.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-26232228
ABSTRACT
Dopamine (DA) neurons in the midbrain ventral tegmental area (VTA) integrate complex inputs to encode multiple signals that influence motivated behaviors via diverse projections. Here, we combine axon-initiated viral transduction with rabies-mediated trans-synaptic tracing and Cre-based cell-type-specific targeting to systematically map input-output relationships of VTA-DA neurons. We found that VTA-DA (and VTA-GABA) neurons receive excitatory, inhibitory, and modulatory input from diverse sources. VTA-DA neurons projecting to different forebrain regions exhibit specific biases in their input selection. VTA-DA neurons projecting to lateral and medial nucleus accumbens innervate largely non-overlapping striatal targets, with the latter also sending extensive extra-striatal axon collaterals. Using electrophysiology and behavior, we validated new circuits identified in our tracing studies, including a previously unappreciated top-down reinforcing circuit from anterior cortex to lateral nucleus accumbens via VTA-DA neurons. This study highlights the utility of our viral-genetic tracing strategies to elucidate the complex neural substrates that underlie motivated behaviors.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Ventral Tegmental Area
/
Neural Pathways
/
Neurons
Limits:
Animals
Language:
En
Journal:
Cell
Year:
2015
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States