title: Conjunctive processing of locomotor signals by the ventral tegmental area neuronal population.
abstract: The ventral tegmental area (VTA) plays an essential role in reward and motivation. How the dopamine (DA) and non-DA neurons in the VTA engage in motivation-based locomotor behaviors is not well understood. We recorded activity of putative DA and non-DA neurons simultaneously in the VTA of awake mice engaged in motivated voluntary movements such as wheel running. Our results revealed that VTA non-DA neurons exhibited significant rhythmic activity that was correlated with the animal's running rhythms. Activity of putative DA neurons also correlated with the movement behavior, but to a lesser degree. More importantly, putative DA neurons exhibited significant burst activation at both onset and offset of voluntary movements. These findings suggest that VTA DA and non-DA neurons conjunctively process locomotor-related motivational signals that are associated with movement initiation, maintenance and termination.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of MOE and STCSM, Shanghai Institute of Brain Functional Genomics, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Dong V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Joe Z
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Tsien
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004298:Dopamine; D051379:Mice; D009042:Motivation / Q000502:physiology; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D012201:Reward; D017557:Ventral Tegmental Area / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D004298:Dopamine