• The ventral tegmental area (VTA) (tegmentum is Latin for covering), also known as the ventral tegmental area of Tsai, or simply ventral tegmentum, is a group of neurons located close to the midline on the floor of the midbrain. (wikipedia.org)
  • Neurons in the VTA project to numerous areas of the brain, ranging from the prefrontal cortex to the caudal brainstem and several regions in between. (wikipedia.org)
  • neurons in the VTA area (Paxinos and Watson 1998) using infrared microscopy with DIC (BX51WI Olympus Japan) and water-immersion objectives. (immune-source.com)
  • Nicotine promotes glutamatergic synaptic plasticity in dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), which is thought to be an important mechanism underlying nicotine reward. (arizona.edu)
  • The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is a heterogeneous midbrain structure, containing neurons and astrocytes, that coordinates behaviors by integrating activity from numerous afferents. (trinity.edu)
  • We have previously shown that male rat offspring prenatally exposed to Δ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a rat model of prenatal cannabinoid exposure (PCE), exhibit extensive molecular and synaptic changes in dopaminergic neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA), converging on a hyperdopaminergic state. (nih.gov)
  • However, we see and stimulate neurons from disparate brain areas using light, via a technique called optogenetics. (trinity.edu)
  • We therefore used a multifaceted strategy, combining optogenetics and conditional gene disruption to selectively stimulate dopaminergic terminals while recording postsynaptic currents from medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in either the ventral or dorsal striatum of control or conditional knock-out mice lacking VGLUT2 specifically in dopamine neurons. (jneurosci.org)
  • These include dopaminergic neurons in the brain's ventral tegmental area, which is known to be associated with pleasure and reward behaviors. (sciencedaily.com)
  • Neuroimmune Regulation of GABAergic Neurons Within the Ventral Tegmental Area During Withdrawal from Chronic Morphine. (ucla.edu)
  • In contrast, DA neurons in the ventral tegmental area displayed a normal firing rate during the latter bupropion treatment. (biopsychiatry.com)
  • Ventral tegmental area neurons in learned appetitive behavior and positive reinforcement. (bvsalud.org)
  • A probabilistic atlas of the human ventral tegmental area (VTA) based on 7 Tesla MRI data. (mpg.de)
  • GABAergic inputs to the VTA also include the nucleus accumbens, ventral pallidum, dorsal raphe nucleus, lateral hypothalamus, periaqueductal gray, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg). (wikipedia.org)
  • SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Our study reports that the eating and the reward induced by optogenetic stimulation of a previously identified GABAergic projection from the lateral hypothalamus to the ventral tegmental area are differentially affected by low- and high-frequency stimulation, respectively. (jneurosci.org)
  • However, electrical stimulation studies indicate that stimulation in the ventral tegmental area and in the lateral hypothalamus can induce both feeding and reward. (jneurosci.org)
  • The ventral tegmental area is in the midbrain between several other major areas, some of which are described here. (wikipedia.org)
  • Originally, the ventral tegmental area was designated as a 'nucleus', but over time 'area' became the more appropriate term used because of the heterogeneous cytoarchitectonic features of the region and the lack of clear borders that separate it from adjacent regions. (wikipedia.org)
  • Presently, scientists divide the VTA up into four similar zones that are called the paranigral nucleus (PN), the parabrachial pigmented area (PBP), the parafasciculus retroflexus area (PFR), and the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), which approximately adhere to the previous divisions. (wikipedia.org)
  • The VTA receives glutamatergic afferents from the prefrontal cortex, pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTg), laterodorsal tegmental nucleus, subthalamic nucleus, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, superior colliculus, periaqueductal gray, lateral habenula, dorsal raphe nucleus, and lateral hypothalamic and preoptic areas. (wikipedia.org)
  • Previous optogenetic stimulation studies have confirmed that reinforcement and induction of feeding can each be induced by selective stimulation of GABAergic fibers originating in the bed nucleus of the LH and projecting to the ventral tegmental area (VTA). (jneurosci.org)
  • In our study, we evaluated the influence of their (+)- and (-) isomers on the electrical activity of serotoninergic neurones of the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), which bear 5-HT 1A autoreceptors, and of dopaminergic neurones of the ventral tegmental area (VTA), which possess inhibitory D 3 and D 2 receptors. (aspetjournals.org)
  • The mesolimbic dopamine pathway comprises the ventral tegmental area (VTA), nucleus accumbens (Nac) and the prefrontal cortex. (greenfacts.org)
  • Horizontal slices (thickness: 220 ?m) containing the ventral tegmental area were prepared from the remaining ventral face using a vibratome (VT1000S Leica Germany). (immune-source.com)
  • Thus, the ventral tegmental area is reciprocally connected with a wide range of structures throughout the brain suggesting that it has a role in the control of function in the phylogenetically newer and highly developed neocortex, as well as that of the phylogenetically older limbic areas. (wikipedia.org)
  • The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is the source of dopaminergic projections innervating cortical structures and ventral forebrain. (immune-source.com)
  • Another possibility is that reactivation in these various areas is at least in part inherited from one or several other structures that project to them. (biomedcentral.com)
  • Research has shown that this value may be at least in part encoded by subcortical structures such as the ventral tegmental area (VTA) [ 3 , 4 ]. (biomedcentral.com)
  • BALB/c mice were unilaterally implanted with a guide-cannula, the tip of which was positioned 1.5 mm above either the amygdala (AMY) or the ventral tegmental area (VTA). (researcher.life)
  • Particularly, while the CORT + DFP rats had more restricted spatial patterns in the hippocampus and the hypothalamus, the highest and most wide-spread differences were shown in DFP-treated rats compared to the controls in the thalamus, the amygdala, the piriform cortex and the ventral tegmental area. (cdc.gov)
  • Yet, considerable variability exists in the connectivity patterns between different brain areas, potentially producing reliable group differences. (researchgate.net)
  • Almost all areas receiving projections from the VTA project back to it. (wikipedia.org)
  • Researchers use a wireless electrical device to stimulate deep brain areas and provide relief for chronic pain. (neurosciencenews.com)
  • This study utilized gene expression screening to identify genes sensitive to chronic alcohol abuse within the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the human brain. (nih.gov)
  • For example, a female (XX) fetus developing in a uterine environment that is unusually high in androgens may be born with male-looking genitalia and may have a masculinized area in the hypothalamus, a sexually dimorphic brain region. (amacad.org)
  • This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint sponsorship of CME Outfitters, LLC, and Psychiatric Times . (psychiatrictimes.com)
  • This study examined the role of a corticotropin releasing factor (CRF)-regulated dopaminergic projection from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the prelimbic cortex in shock-induced cocaine seeking and its recruitment under self-administration conditions that establish relapse vulnerability. (jneurosci.org)
  • Cholinergic modulation of dopaminergic reward areas: Upstream and downstream targets of nicotine addiction. (ac.ir)
  • Finally, dopaminergic neurones in substantia nigra (pars compacta) (SNc) and the adjacent ventral tegmental area (VTA) provide other basal ganglia nuclei, principally the striatum, with important modulatory signals. (scholarpedia.org)
  • Finally, the area postrema which are rich in dopaminergic receptors are important in the commenting center of the brain. (pharmacology2000.com)
  • The ventral tegmental area (VTA), whose dopaminergic cell bodies are found in the midbrain, project to many forebrain areas including the cerebral cortex, nucleus accumbens, and other limbic structures. (pharmacology2000.com)
  • GABAergic inputs to the VTA also include the nucleus accumbens, ventral pallidum, dorsal raphe nucleus, lateral hypothalamus, periaqueductal gray, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg). (wikipedia.org)
  • We investigated the modulation effect of real acupuncture, sham acupuncture, video-guided acupuncture imagery treatment (VGAIT) and VGAIT control on the resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of periaqueductal gray (PAG) and ventral tegmental area (VTA). (nih.gov)
  • Involvement of ventral tegmental area ionotropic glutamate receptors in the expression of ethanol-induced conditioned place preference. (ac.ir)
  • Dendritic release of dopamine in the ventral tegmental area acts on D2-dopamine receptors to mediate an inhibitory postsynaptic current (IPSC). (nih.gov)
  • Here, we observed that activation of 5-HTDRN to hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (5-HTDRN → ARH) projections inhibits food intake driven by hunger via actions at ARH 5-HT2C and 5-HT1B receptors, whereas activation of 5-HTDRN to ventral tegmental area (5-HTDRN → VTA) projections inhibits non-hunger-driven feeding via actions at 5-HT2C receptors. (nih.gov)
  • 2. Involvement of orexin-2 receptors in the ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens in the antinociception induced by the lateral hypothalamus stimulation in rats. (nih.gov)
  • Activation of area postrema dopamine receptors activate brain vomiting centers thus promoting emesis. (pharmacology2000.com)
  • The aim of this study was to research the role µ-opioid receptors in the ventral pallidum on ethanol intake using an ethanol-preferring AA (Alko, Alcohol) rat line. (helsinki.fi)
  • The hypothesis of the study was that local inhibition of the ventral pallidum with an excess of µ-opioid receptors effects ethanol intake. (helsinki.fi)
  • The regulation of glutamate (Glu) release from the excitatory input to dopamine cells in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) during acute withdrawal from morphine was studied in slices from animals treated for 6-7 d with morphine. (jneurosci.org)
  • Novelty facilitates the persistence of aversive memory extinction by dopamine regulation in the hippocampus and ventral tegmental area. (qxmd.com)
  • Adell A, Artigas F. The somatodendritic release of dopamine in the ventral tegmental area and its regulation by afferent transmitter systems. (ac.ir)
  • Williamson and co-workers linked central command to activation of the insular cortex [ 19 ], and showed that this brain area was involved with the regulation of the autonomic nervous system during exercise [ 20 ]. (springer.com)
  • The ventral pallidum is regarded as the endpoint of the mesolimbic reward system and as the cross point of the motivational circuit and reward circuit. (helsinki.fi)
  • The role of the ventral pallidum and its GABAergic and opioidergic systems in ethanol reinforcement has been proven in many studies. (helsinki.fi)
  • This review concentrates especially on the opioidergic system and on the role of the ventral pallidum in ethanol reinforcement. (helsinki.fi)
  • We infused µ-opioid receptor gene overexpressing viral vectors (AAV-MOR), control vectors or vehicle into the ventral pallidum of rats. (helsinki.fi)
  • These results suggest that possibly part of to that naltrexone's ethanol intake decreasing effects are mediated via the ventral pallidum. (helsinki.fi)
  • The results of this study do not exclude the role of the ventral pallidum in controlling ethanol drinking. (helsinki.fi)
  • Presently, scientists divide the VTA up into four similar zones that are called the paranigral nucleus (PN), the parabrachial pigmented area (PBP), the parafasciculus retroflexus area (PFR), and the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), which approximately adhere to the previous divisions. (wikipedia.org)
  • We show that mRNA for all components of the amylin receptor complex is expressed in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a mesolimbic structure mediating food intake and reward. (nih.gov)
  • Here we present evidence that oxytocin (OXT) release in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a key node of the brain's reward circuitry, is necessary to elicit social reward. (researcher-app.com)
  • The release of dopamine (DA) in the posterior ventral tegmental area (pVTA) plays an important role in cue-related learning, reward, and relapse. (ac.ir)
  • Now, scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY, suggest that this area could also regulate reward-processing and addiction . (medicalnewstoday.com)
  • Another brain area that scientists have implicated in reward processing is the so-called ventral tegmental area (VTA). (medicalnewstoday.com)
  • Even though mice normally shun bright areas, now they preferentially ran toward the light, because that's where they remembered getting a reward […] This suggests that the cerebellum plays a role in addictive behaviors. (medicalnewstoday.com)
  • This review goes through the brain areas involved in the reward circuit and ethanol's effects on the neurotransmitter systems connected to the reward system. (helsinki.fi)
  • In primates the striatum comprises the caudate nucleus and the putamen, and in all mammals, the ventral striatum or nucleus accumbens (Gerfen and Wilson 1996, Voorn et al. (scholarpedia.org)
  • A similar characterization of real-time sub-second dopamine signals in areas outside of the striatum has been limited. (researchgate.net)
  • The intrahippocampal infusion of dopamine in the CA1 area or the stimulation of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) by a glutamatergic agonist (NMDA) showed similar effects of novelty. (qxmd.com)
  • Thus, the ventral tegmental area is reciprocally connected with a wide range of structures throughout the brain suggesting that it has a role in the control of function in the phylogenetically newer and highly developed neocortex, as well as that of the phylogenetically older limbic areas. (wikipedia.org)
  • In particular, the ability of focused ultrasound neuromodulation to impact deeper brain areas without impacting superficial cortex is something that makes it unique among other tools and may have special advantages. (nih.gov)
  • The researchers stuck 73 people into an fMRI, a scanner that can detect what part of the brain is most active, and focused on that area associated with motivation. (npr.org)
  • That first spark of attraction ignites a region buried deep inside the brain called the ventral tegmental area, or VTA. (yourtango.com)
  • By injecting a morphine-like drug to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the brain that controls motivation and addiction, the researchers made the mice walk in circles. (popsci.com)
  • Given the unique connectivity between the frontal regions and deeper brain structures, lesions of these areas or their connections generate relatively distinctive clinical behaviors. (medscape.com)
  • 11. Properties of distinct ventral tegmental area synapses activated via pedunculopontine or ventral tegmental area stimulation in vitro. (nih.gov)
  • From text book physiology we know that the execution of voluntary movement, such as that exhibited during exercise, requires muscle recruitment via descending nerve impulses from the motor cortex that synapse with alpha motor neurones situated in the ventral horn of the spinal cord [ 3 ]. (springer.com)
  • The projections to the frontal lobe that are damaged in schizophrenia originate in the ventral tegmental area. (yourdictionary.com)
  • Moaddab M, Haghparast A, Hassanpour-Ezatti M. Effects of reversible inactivation of the ventral tegmental area on the acquisition and expression of morphine-induced conditioned place preference in the rat. (ac.ir)
  • Galaj E, Manuszak M, Arastehmanesh D, Ranaldi R. Microinjections of a dopamine D1 receptor antagonist into the ventral tegmental area block the expression of cocaine conditioned place preference in rats. (ac.ir)
  • In contrast, the tail of the ventral tegmental area (tVTA, a.k.a. the RMTg) projects to the VTA with GABAergic afferents, functioning as a "master brake" for the VTA dopamine pathways. (wikipedia.org)
  • Within the mammalian ventral tegmental area (VTA), nicotine produces both aversive and rewarding motivational effects. (nih.gov)
  • Alterations in the levels of the neurotransmitters in the mesocorticolimbic areas have been reported to mediate the initiation and development of nicotine addiction. (frontiersin.org)
  • These data suggest that chronic E-CIG use alters homeostasis of several neurotransmitters in the mesocorticolimbic areas, which may result in the development of nicotine dependence in E-CIG users. (frontiersin.org)
  • 6-Hydroxydopamine lesions of the ventral tegmental area suppress ghrelin's ability to elicit food-reinforced behavior. (ac.ir)
  • This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) issued by NIDA and NIMH solicits Research Project Grant (R01) applications from institutions/ organizations that propose to study the development of the frontal and prefrontal cortices, together with the subcortical areas of the limbic system, that play significant roles in mediating emotional and motivated behavior. (nih.gov)
  • Lesions anterior, superior, and deep to (but sparing) the Broca area produce abnormal syntax and grammar but repetition and automatic language are preserved. (medscape.com)
  • Pivotal role of the ventral tegmental area in spontaneous motor activity and concomitant cardiovascular responses in decerebrate rats. (go.jp)
  • The ability of amylin, a pancreatic β-cell-derived neuropeptide, to promote negative energy balance has been ascribed to neural activation at the area postrema. (nih.gov)
  • The area postrema is described as a 'circumventricular organ' and has a function as a blood chemoreceptor, meaning that communication between the blood and CNS occurs. (pharmacology2000.com)
  • An additional goal is to understand how alterations in the normal developmental trajectory of cortical and limbic areas might underlie the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders with putative developmental etiologies. (nih.gov)
  • Editors select a small number of articles recently published in the journal that they believe will be particularly interesting to readers, or important in the respective research area. (mdpi.com)
  • The aim is to provide a snapshot of some of the most exciting work published in the various research areas of the journal. (mdpi.com)
  • INIA will also provide opportunities for collaboration between scientists in the alcohol field and prominent investigators from other research areas, resulting in the application of new ideas and technology to the study of neuroadaptation to alcohol. (nih.gov)
  • That changed when the participants were allowed to watch a neurofeedback meter that displayed activity in their ventral tegmental area. (npr.org)
  • HEALTHY PEOPLE 2010 The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy People 2010," a PHS- led national activity for setting priority areas. (nih.gov)