Self-stimulation of the nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental area of Tsai attenuated by microinjections of spiroperidol into the nucleus accumbens.
The contribution of dopaminergic neurons to self-stimulation of the ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex was investigated. The ventral tegmental area is the site of non-striatal dopaminergic neurons and their axons project to the nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex. Injections of spiroperidol, a dopamine antagonist, into the nucleus accumbens significantly reduced self-stimulation of the ipsilateral ventral tegmental area but did not influence self-stimulation of the contralateral ventral tegmental area. Injections of spiroperidol into the prefrontal cortex did not reduce self-stimulation of the ipsilateral or contralateral ventral tegmental area. Electrical stimulation of sites in the nucleus accumbens positive for self-stimulation antidromically activated neurons of the ventral tegmental area, and a reduction of discharge of these neurons following administration of apomorphine suggested that they were dopaminergic neurons. These observations provide additional evidence implicating dopaminergic neurons in brain-stimulation reward and suggest that dopaminergic neurons contribute to self-stimulation of the nucleus accumbens but not the prefrontal cortex.
D000818:Animals; D001058:Apomorphine / Q000494:pharmacology; D002090:Butyrophenones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D011954:Receptors, Dopamine / Q000187:drug effects; D012653:Self Stimulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D012686:Septal Nuclei / Q000502:physiology*; D013134:Spiperone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D013681:Tegmentum Mesencephali / Q000502:physiology*
D002090:Butyrophenones; D011954:Receptors, Dopamine; D013134:Spiperone; D001058:Apomorphine