Neuronal circuits underlying acute morphine action on dopamine neurons.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2011-09-19; 108(39): 16446-16450
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1105418108
Read on PubMed
1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Sep 27;108(39):16446-50. doi:
10.1073/pnas.1105418108. Epub 2011 Sep 19.
Neuronal circuits underlying acute morphine action on dopamine neurons.
Jalabert M(1), Bourdy R, Courtin J, Veinante P, Manzoni OJ, Barrot M, Georges F.
Author information:
(1)Université de Bordeaux, F-33076 Bordeaux, France.
Morphine is a highly potent analgesic with high addictive potential in specific
contexts. Although dopamine neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) are
widely believed to play an essential role in the development of drug addiction,
neuronal circuits underlying morphine action on dopamine neurons have not been
fully elucidated. Here we combined in vivo electrophysiology, tract-tracing
experiments, and targeted neuronal inactivation to dissect a neural circuit for
acute morphine action on dopamine neurons in rats. We found that in vivo,
morphine targets the GABAergic tail of the VTA, also called the rostromedial
tegmental nucleus, to increase the firing of dopamine neurons through the
activation of VTA μ opioid receptors expressed on tail of the VTA/rostromedial
tegmental nucleus efferents. Our data also reveal that in the absence of VTA
glutamatergic tone, there is no morphine-induced activation of dopamine neurons.
These results define the anatomical organization and functional role of a neural
circuit for acute morphine action on dopamine neurons.
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1105418108
PMCID: PMC3182694
PMID: 21930931 [Indexed for MEDLINE]