Document Type
Honors Project
Abstract
Substance use disorder (SUD) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by the abuse of drugs, compulsive drug seeking, and addiction. Addiction is facilitated by social, environmental, genetic, and neurobiological mechanisms. The underlying neural circuitry of addiction encompasses several brain regions, circuits, and cell types contributing to the reward system both collectively and independently. Evidence has shown that the ventral tegmental area of the brain is a control center of reward, an important mechanism for drug-seeking in addiction. Previous research has described the ventral tegmental area as a highly heterogeneous region containing various cell types serving different roles. GABAergic neurons of the ventral tegmental area primarily inhibit dopaminergic neurons, but there is also evidence that they synapse onto local GABA neurons and inhibit a variety of distal brain regions. To better understand the neurobiology of addiction, this project uses a unique viral vector approach to assess the local and distal synaptic contacts made by GABAergic neurons of the ventral tegmental area. The methodology involves a virus combination, allowing for the tagging of both GABA neurons and synaptophysin, a presynaptic protein indicating synaptic connections. The findings of this study propose a model of synaptic connectivity of ventral tegmental area GABA neurons, compare quantified expression across distal projection targets, and discuss potential implications of synaptic connectivity on circuit function.
Recommended Citation
Pirrone, Trinity M., "Local and Distal Projections of VTA GABA Neurons" (2024). Neuroscience Honors Projects. 5.
https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/neurosci_honors/5
© Copyright is owned by author of this document
