Electrophysiological evidence that a subset of midbrain dopamine neurons integrate the reward signal induced by electrical stimulation of the posterior mesencephalon

Brain Research
J Moisan, P P Rompré

Abstract

This study was aimed at determining whether midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons are trans-synaptically activated by rewarding electrical stimulation applied near the midline in the posterior mesencephalon (PM), and in the affirmative, whether the increase in firing was proportional to the rewarding effectiveness of the stimulation. Experiments were performed on male Long-Evans rats trained to lever press to obtain 400 ms trains of cathodal rectangular pulses. Following the training period, curves relating the rates of responding to the stimulation frequencies were determined at two current intensities and reward thresholds were calculated for each animal. Each animal was then anesthetized with urethane (1.2 g/kg, i.p.) and firing rate of DA neurons were recorded before, during, and after each of 50 trains (1 train/3 s) of stimulation to the PM using stimulation parameters that either sustained near threshold responding (rewarding), or failed to sustain responding (non-rewarding), in the behavioral tests. A total of 24 DA cells were recorded from 13 behaviorally trained animals, and of these, 17 (71%) responded to rewarding stimulation by an increase in firing, five (21%) were unresponsive and two (8%) were inhibited. In 12 of the 17...Continue Reading

References

Oct 30, 1990·Behavioural Brain Research·J Malette, E Miliaressis
Jan 1, 1989·Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews·R A Wise
Jan 1, 1989·Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews·J S Yeomans
Jun 1, 1986·Behavioural Brain Research·C R Gallistel
Aug 1, 1986·Behavioural Brain Research·E MiliaressisD Coulombe
Dec 16, 1985·Brain Research·P P Rompre, E Miliaressis
May 1, 1981·Psychological Review·C R GallistelJ S Yeomans
Apr 1, 1980·Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology·P ShizgalJ Yeomans
May 1, 1980·Physiology & Behavior·W J Mundl
Jan 1, 1996·Annual Review of Neuroscience·R A Wise

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Dec 15, 2010·PloS One·Giovanni HernandezPeter Shizgal
Jan 7, 2016·Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience·Giovanni Hernandez, Joseph F Cheer
Jan 13, 2015·Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research·Tatiana A ShnitkoDonita L Robinson
Jan 29, 2013·European Neuropsychopharmacology : the Journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology·Sabrina Bergeron, Pierre-Paul Rompré
Jan 13, 2015·Neuropsychopharmacology : Official Publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology·Giovanni HernandezPierre-Paul Rompré
Sep 13, 2006·PLoS Computational Biology·Maria LindskogJeanette Hellgren Kotaleski
Sep 23, 2014·PloS One·Manuela Sellitto, Giuseppe di Pellegrino
Mar 19, 2014·PloS One·Steven SkorheimMaxim Bazhenov
Apr 13, 2007·Physiology & Behavior·Alain BoissyArnaud Aubert
Sep 13, 2016·Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience·Giovanni HernandezPierre-Paul Rompré

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Amygdala and Midbrain Dopamine

The midbrain dopamine system is widely studied for its involvement in emotional and motivational behavior. Some of these neurons receive information from the amygdala and project throughout the cortex. When the circuit and transmission of dopamine is disrupted symptoms may present. Here is the latest research on the amygdala and midbrain dopamine.