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The ventral pallidum is centrally positioned within mesocorticolimbic reward circuits, and its dense projection to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) regulates neuronal activity there. However, the ventral pallidum is a heterogeneous structure, and how this complexity affects its role within wider reward circuits is unclear. We found that projections to VTA from the rostral ventral pallidum (RVP), but not the caudal ventral pallidum (CVP), were robustly Fos activated during cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking--a rat model of relapse in addiction. Moreover, designer receptor-mediated transient inactivation of RVP neurons, their terminals in VTA or functional connectivity between RVP and VTA dopamine neurons blocked the ability of drug-associated cues (but not a cocaine prime) to reinstate cocaine seeking. In contrast, CVP neuronal inhibition blocked cocaine-primed, but not cue-induced, reinstatement. This double dissociation in ventral pallidum subregional roles in drug seeking is likely to be important for understanding the mesocorticolimbic circuits underlying reward seeking and addiction.

Hypertension and its complications represent leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Although the cause of hypertension is unknown in most patients, genetic factors are recognized as contributing significantly to an individual's lifetime risk of developing the condition. Here, we investigated the role of the G protein regulator phosducin (Pdc) in hypertension. Mice with a targeted deletion of the gene encoding Pdc ([Pdc.sup.[-/-]] mice) had increased blood pressure despite normal cardiac function and vascular reactivity, and displayed elevated catecholamine turnover in the peripheral sympathetic system. Isolated postganglionic sympathetic neurons from [Pdc.sup.[-/-]] mice showed prolonged action potential firing after stimulation with acetylcholine and increased firing frequencies during membrane depolarization. Furthermore, [Pdc.sup.[-/-]] mice displayed exaggerated increases in blood pressure in response to post-operative stress. Candidate gene-based association studies in 2 different human populations revealed several SNPs in the PDC gene to be associated with stress-dependent blood pressure phenotypes. Individuals homozygous for the G allele of an intronic PDC SNP (rs12402521) had 12-15 mmHg higher blood pressure than those carrying the A allele. These findings demonstrate that PDC is an important modulator of sympathetic activity and blood pressure and may thus represent a promising target for treatment of stress-dependent hypertension., Introduction Hypertension and its cardiovascular consequences contribute to the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide (1). In over 90% of hypertensive patients, the causes of increased blood pressure are [...]

(1) Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology and Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany. (2) Human and Molecular Genetics Center and (3) Department of Physiology, [...]

Protracted opiate withdrawal is accompanied by altered responsiveness of midbrain dopaminergic (DA) neurons, including a loss of DA cell response to morphine, and by behavioral alterations, including affective disorders. GABAergic neurons in the tail of the ventral tegmental area (tVTA), also called the rostromedial tegmental nucleus, are important for behavioral responses to opiates. We investigated the tVTA–VTA circuit in rats after chronic morphine exposure to determine whether tVTA neurons participate in the loss of opiate-induced disinhibition of VTA DA neurons observed during protracted withdrawal. In vivo recording revealed that VTA DA neurons, but not tVTA GABAergic neurons, are tolerant to morphine after 2 weeks of withdrawal. Optogenetic stimulation of tVTA neurons inhibited VTA DA neurons similarly in opiate-naive and long-term withdrawn rats. However, tVTA inactivation increased VTA DA activity in opiate-naive rats, but not in withdrawn rats, resembling the opiate tolerance effect in DA cells. Thus, although inhibitory control of DA neurons by tVTA is maintained during protracted withdrawal, the capacity for disinhibitory control is impaired. In addition, morphine withdrawal reduced both tVTA neural activity and tonic glutamatergic input to VTA DA neurons. We propose that these changes in glutamate andGABAinputs underlie the apparent tolerance ofVTADAneurons to opiates after chronic exposure. These alterations in the tVTA–VTA DA circuit could be an important factor in opiate tolerance and addiction. Moreover, the capacity of the tVTA to inhibit, but not disinhibit, DA cells after chronic opiate exposure may contribute to long-term negative affective states during withdrawal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the work of Johnson and North, it is known that opiates increase the activity of dopaminergic neurons by a GABA neuron-mediated desinhibition. This model should however be updated based on recent advances. Thus, the neuroanatomical location of the GABA neurons responsible for this desinhibition has been recently detailed: they belong to a brain structure in continuity with the posterior part of the ventral tegmental area and discovered this past decade. Other data also highlighted the critical role played by glutamatergic transmission in the opioid regulation of dopaminergic neuron activity. During protracted opiate withdrawal, the inhibitory/excitatory balance exerted on dopaminergic neurons is altered. These results are now leading to propose an original hypothesis for explaining the impact of protracted opiate withdrawal on mood., (© 2016 médecine/sciences – Inserm.)

Background: The transcription factor DeltaFosB is implicated in the plasticity induced by drugs of abuse. We showed that psychostimulants induce DeltaFosB in gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) cells of a caudal subregion of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) that was named tail of the VTA (tVTA). Although tVTA mostly shares VTA inputs, its outputs remain to be characterized., Methods: The tVTA efferents were studied by iontophoretic injections of the anterograde tracer biotinylated dextran amine (BDA). To further study VTA inputs arising from tVTA, injections of the retrograde tracer Fluoro-Gold were combined with multiple labeling by immunohistochemistry in rats treated with cocaine. Indirect projections from the tVTA to the nucleus accumbens were assessed with a double-tracing approach, cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) being delivered in the nucleus accumbens and BDA in the tVTA., Results: Tract-tracing studies showed that tVTA heavily projects to the midbrain dopaminergic system and revealed terminal appositions with dopamine cells in the VTA. Double-labeling studies demonstrated that this tVTA output is mostly GABAergic, includes cells in which cocaine exposure induces DeltaFosB, and displays appositions to dopamine cells projecting to the nucleus accumbens., Conclusions: The GABA neurons expressing DeltaFosB in the tVTA after cocaine exposure project to the dopamine mesolimbic neurons.