title: Similar roles of substantia nigra and ventral tegmental dopamine neurons in reward and aversion.
abstract: Dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) are implicated in affective functions. However, it is unclear to what extent dopamine neurons in substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) play such roles. TH-Cre transgenic mice received adeno-associated viral vectors encoding channelrhodopsin2 (ChR2), halorhodopsin (NpHR), or control vector into the VTA or SNc, resulting in selective expression of these opsins in dopamine neurons. Mice with ChR2 learned instrumental responding to deliver photostimulation into the VTA or SNc and also sought for the compartment where they received photostimulation (i.e., operant place preference). Operant place preference scores were highly correlated with self-stimulation responses. In contrast, mice with NpHR avoided the compartment where they received photostimulation into the VTA, SNc, or dorsal striatum, whereas control mice did not. These observations suggest that the excitation and inhibition of SNc dopamine neurons elicit positive and negative affective effects, respectively, similar to those of VTA dopamine neurons.
authors.affiliation: Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Baltimore, Maryland 21014, and Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599.
authors.forename: Anton
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ilango
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Kesner
authors.forename: Kristine L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.forename: Garret D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Stuber
authors.forename: Antonello
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bonci
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ikemoto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000502:physiology; D059290:Dopaminergic Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D055879:Gene Knock-In Techniques; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D012201:Reward; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000502:physiology*; D017557:Ventral Tegmental Area / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Parkinson's disease; dopamine; dorsal striatum; drug abuse; substantia nigra; ventral tegmental area