title: CRF acts in the midbrain to attenuate accumbens dopamine release to rewards but not their predictors.
abstract: Stressors affect dopamine-dependent behaviors such as motivation, although the underlying neurobiological mechanism is not well defined. We report that corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) acts in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to reduce the motivation to work for food rewards. CRF in the VTA regulates dopamine output in a stimulus- and pathway-specific manner, offering a mechanism by which acute stress selectively regulates information transmission via the VTA to reprioritize motivated behavior.
authors: Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
authors: Matthew J
authors: MJ
authors: Wanat
authors: Antonello
authors: A
authors: Bonci
authors: Paul E M
authors: PE
authors: Phillips
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000502:physiology*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008845:Microinjections; D009042:Motivation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012201:Reward; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; D004298:Dopamine