Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

An opponent striatal circuit for distributional reinforcement learning

The paper identifies a striatal circuit that encodes reward distributional information, showing D1 and D2 MSNs encode different reward distribution tails.

Early life stress impairs VTA coordination of BLA network and behavioral states

This study shows that early life stress impairs VTA coordination of BLA network and behavioral states by weakening dopamine signaling between VTA and BLA, leading to increased social avoidance.

The neural basis of flavour-nutrient learning

This paper identifies a dopamine pathway that enables flavour-nutrient learning by integrating interoceptive signals from the mouth and gut.

Sex Specific Attenuation of Reward Preference

This study shows that GPER-1 activation in the DLS reduces male but not female preference for saccharin, while systemic GPER-1 activation reduces cocaine preference in both sexes.

Nucleus accumbens D2-expressing neurons: Balancing reward and licking disruption through rhythmic optogenetic stimulation

This study investigates the role of NAc D2-expressing neurons in reward processing using optogenetic stimulation, finding that activation has rewarding effects but disrupts licking behavior, while inhibition induces a negative hedonic state.

Cocaine extended access gates compulsive-like seeking in rats

This study introduces a new behavioral task to assess compulsive-like cocaine seeking in rats and shows it emerges after extended access with punishment.

Alterations of adult prefrontal circuits induced by early postnatal fluoxetine treatment mediated by 5-HT7 receptors.

This study shows that early postnatal fluoxetine exposure alters adult prefrontal cortex circuits via 5-HT7 receptors, affecting neuronal firing patterns and contributing to depressive and anxiety-like behaviors.

Devaluing memories of reward: A case for dopamine

This study identifies dopamine's role in devaluing reward memories through experimental and computational methods, showing its necessity for mediated devaluation and hedonic evaluation reduction.

Mu-opioid receptor knockout on Foxp2-expressing neurons reduces aversion-resistant alcohol drinking

This study shows that deleting MORs in Foxp2-expressing neurons reduces aversion-resistant alcohol drinking and related behaviors in mice.

A multi-omics and cell type-specific characterization of the ventral striatum in human cocaine use disorder

This study characterizes molecular changes in the ventral striatum of individuals with cocaine use disorder using multi-omics and single-cell approaches, identifying perturbations in metabolic pathways and cell-type-specific alterations.

GABAergic neurons from the ventral tegmental area represent and regulate force vectors

This study identifies distinct VTA GABA neurons that regulate force vectors during motivated behavior through precise force tuning and optogenetic manipulation.

Presence of distinct operant phenotypes and transient withdrawal-induced escalation of operant ethanol intake in female rats

This study examines operant ethanol self-administration in female rats, identifying distinct phenotypes and withdrawal-induced intake escalation similar to males.

Striatal cell-type-specific encoding stability and reorganization for goal-directed behavior and habit

The paper tracks and manipulates striatal neuron activity during goal-directed learning and habit formation, finding D1+ neurons maintain stable action representations while A2A+ neurons show transient or slow reorganization.

Unveiling Cognitive Processes Underlying Depression-like Behaviors in the Force Swim and Tail Suspension Tests

This paper develops a tool to analyze fine-grained behavior in depression-like tests and finds that cognitive processes differ between the forced swim and tail suspension tests.

Individual differences in punished alcohol self-administration are unaltered by alcohol vapor exposure

This study examines if alcohol vapor exposure affects individual differences in punished alcohol self-administration in rats, finding no significant effect.

Carbonic anhydrase 4 disruption and pharmacological inhibition reduce synaptic and behavioral adaptations following oxycodone withdrawal

This study shows that disrupting or inhibiting carbonic anhydrase 4 reduces synaptic and behavioral adaptations during oxycodone withdrawal in mice.

Sex Differences in Home-Cage Ethanol Drinking and Operant Self-Administration in C57BL/6J Mice but Equivalent Regulation by Glutamate AMPAR Activity

This study examines sex differences in ethanol consumption and its regulation by glutamate AMPA receptors in C57BL/6J mice, finding higher ethanol intake and reinforcement in females.

Deficiency of Orexin Receptor Type 1 in Dopaminergic Neurons Increases Novelty-Induced Locomotion and Exploration

This study shows that deleting Ox1R in dopaminergic neurons increases novelty-induced locomotion and exploration without affecting other behaviors.

The nucleus accumbens dorsomedial column: distinct anterior-posterior inputs and activation inversely associated with opioid relapse

This study maps the anatomical connections and activation patterns of the dorsomedial nucleus accumbens (dmACB) and finds reduced dmACB activation correlates with increased opioid seeking after abstinence.

A multi-symptomatic model of heroin use disorder in rats reveals distinct behavioral profiles and neuronal correlates of heroin vulnerability versus resiliency

This study uses a non-linear clustering approach in rats to identify distinct behavioral and neuronal profiles associated with heroin vulnerability and resiliency, reflecting human opioid use disorder heterogeneity.

Fusobacterium nucleatum determines the expression of amphetamine-induced behavioral responses through an epigenetic phenomenon.

This study shows that Fusobacterium nucleatum enhances amphetamine-induced behaviors through butyrate release and HDAC1 inhibition, increasing dopamine release.

Atp1a2 and Kcnj9 are candidate genes underlying sensitivity to oxycodone-induced locomotor activation and withdrawal-induced anxiety-like behaviors in C57BL/6 substrains

Regulation of dopamine release by tonic activity patterns in the striatal brain slice

The paper investigates how tonic activity patterns affect dopamine release in striatal brain slices, finding that tonic stimulation alters DA release kinetics to resemble in vivo conditions.

BDNF in Ventrolateral Orbitofrontal Cortex to Dorsolateral Striatum Circuit Moderates Alcohol Consumption and Gates Alcohol Habit

This study shows that BDNF in vlOFC-to-DLS neurons reduces alcohol intake by decreasing habitual seeking, but not sucrose intake.

Policy complexity suppresses dopamine responses

The paper shows that policy complexity suppresses dopamine responses to reward outcomes, reducing behavioral sensitivity to these outcomes.

Dopamine and serotonin differentially associated with reward and punishment processes in humans: A systematic review and meta-analysis

This paper conducts a meta-analysis of dopamine and serotonin pharmacological manipulations in humans, finding distinct associations with reward and punishment reinforcement learning components.

A stress-activated mid-insula to BNST pathway regulates susceptibility to abstinence-induced negative affect in female mice

This study identifies a mid-insula to BNST neural circuit that drives stress susceptibility and negative affect during abstinence in female mice, suggesting it as a therapeutic target for AUD.

Sequential recruitment of accumbal dopamine and acetylcholine during learning

This study investigates how dopamine and acetylcholine dynamics change during learning in rats, finding that acetylcholine signals evolve sequentially and complement dopamine in determining learning content and rate.

Brief disruption of the microbiome has age-dependent effects on morphine reward and gene expression in the medial prefrontal cortex of adolescent and adult mice

This study shows that disrupting the microbiome affects morphine reward and gene expression in the medial prefrontal cortex differently in adolescent and adult mice.

Dynamic representation of appetitive and aversive stimuli in nucleus accumbens shell D1- and D2-medium spiny neurons

The paper shows that D1- and D2-MSNs in the NAc shell encode appetitive and aversive stimuli and their extinction, with D2-MSNs playing a key role in aversive association extinction.