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Chemogenetic Stimulation Of Electrically Coupled Midbrain Gaba Neurons In Alcohol Reward And Dependence, Stephanie Suzette Pistorius
Chemogenetic Stimulation Of Electrically Coupled Midbrain Gaba Neurons In Alcohol Reward And Dependence, Stephanie Suzette Pistorius
Theses and Dissertations
The prevailing view is that enhancement of dopamine (DA) transmission in the mesolimbic system leads to the rewarding properties of alcohol. The mesolimbic DA system, which plays an important role in regulating reward and addiction, consists of DA neurons in the midbrain ventral tegmental area (VTA) that innervate the nucleus accumbens (NAc). It is believed that VTA DA neurons are inhibited by local gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) interneurons that express connexin-36 (Cx36) gap junctions (GJs). We have previously demonstrated that blocking Cx36 GJs suppresses electrical coupling between VTA GABA neurons and reduces ethanol intoxication and consumption suggesting that electrical coupling between …
Chemogenetic Stimulation Of Electrically Coupled Midbrain Gaba Neurons In Alcohol Reward And Dependence, Stephanie Suzette Pistorius
Chemogenetic Stimulation Of Electrically Coupled Midbrain Gaba Neurons In Alcohol Reward And Dependence, Stephanie Suzette Pistorius
Theses and Dissertations
The prevailing view is that enhancement of dopamine (DA) transmission in the mesolimbic system leads to the rewarding properties of alcohol. The mesolimbic DA system, which plays an important role in regulating reward and addiction, consists of DA neurons in the midbrain ventral tegmental area (VTA) that innervate the nucleus accumbens (NAc). It is believed that VTA DA neurons are inhibited by local gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) interneurons that express connexin-36 (Cx36) gap junctions (GJs). We have previously demonstrated that blocking Cx36 GJs suppresses electrical coupling between VTA GABA neurons and reduces ethanol intoxication and consumption suggesting that electrical coupling between …
Endocannabinoid Biosynthetic Enzyme Mrna: Patterns Of Expression In Hippocampus And Ventral Tegmental Area And Effects On Synaptic Plasticity, Collin Brutch Merrill
Endocannabinoid Biosynthetic Enzyme Mrna: Patterns Of Expression In Hippocampus And Ventral Tegmental Area And Effects On Synaptic Plasticity, Collin Brutch Merrill
Theses and Dissertations
Endocannabinoids (eCBs) are lipophilic signals that are produced by postsynaptic neurons in an activity-dependent manner, and signal in a retrograde fashion to modulate neurotransmitter release. As such, eCBs are highly involved in synaptic plasticity, a process that strengthens or weakens synapses. eCB-mediated synaptic plasticity is involved in many brain processes including learning, short-term memory, and adaptive reward, which are processed in the hippocampus and ventral tegmental area (VTA), respectively. However, the expression of eCB biosynthetic enzyme mRNA within hippocampal and VTA neurons, as well as the relationship between these mRNA species and the occurrence of synaptic plasticity, remains unclear. The …