VTA GABA Neurons at the Interface of Stress and Reward

The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is best known for its robust dopaminergic projections to forebrain regions and their critical role in regulating reward, motivation, cognition, and aversion. However, the VTA is not only made of dopamine (DA) cells, as approximately 30% of cells in the VTA are GABA n...

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Published in:Frontiers in neural circuits Vol. 13; p. 78
Main Authors: Bouarab, Chloé, Thompson, Brittney, Polter, Abigail M.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Switzerland Frontiers Research Foundation 05.12.2019
Frontiers Media S.A
Subjects:
Addictions
Animals
Aversion
circuits
Cognition
Dopamine
Dopamine receptors
Dopaminergic Neurons - physiology
Forebrain
GABA
GABAergic Neurons - physiology
Motivation
Neural Inhibition - physiology
Neural Pathways - physiology
Neurons
Neuroscience
Physiology
Reinforcement
Reward
stress
Stress, Psychological - physiopathology
ventral tegmental area (VTA)
Ventral Tegmental Area - physiology
Ventral tegmentum
γ-Aminobutyric acid
reward
GABA
stress
circuits
ventral tegmental area (VTA)
ISSN:1662-5110, 1662-5110
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is best known for its robust dopaminergic projections to forebrain regions and their critical role in regulating reward, motivation, cognition, and aversion. However, the VTA is not only made of dopamine (DA) cells, as approximately 30% of cells in the VTA are GABA neurons. These neurons play a dual role, as VTA GABA neurons provide both local inhibition of VTA DA neurons and long-range inhibition of several distal brain regions. VTA GABA neurons have increasingly been recognized as potent mediators of reward and aversion in their own right, as well as potential targets for the treatment of addiction, depression, and other stress-linked disorders. In this review article, we dissect the circuit architecture, physiology, and behavioral roles of VTA GABA neurons and suggest critical gaps to be addressed.
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Edited by: Fu-Ming Zhou, University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), United States
Reviewed by: Aaron G. Roseberry, Georgia State University, United States; Jeffrey G. Edwards, Brigham Young University, United States
ISSN:1662-5110
1662-5110
DOI:10.3389/fncir.2019.00078