Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

D2 autoreceptors gate vulnerability to cocaine use disorder

This study investigates how D2 autoreceptors influence vulnerability to cocaine use disorder by using cell-type-specific genetic manipulations in mice.

Predicting individual incubation of opioid craving by whole-brain functional connectivity

The paper identifies a whole-brain functional connectivity pattern that predicts individual differences in opioid craving incubation in rats after abstinence.

Dopamine Dynamics in the Nucleus Accumbens Reflect Confidence in Detecting the Occurrence and Non-Occurrence of Visual Signals in Perceptual Decision-Making

This study shows that dopamine fluctuations in the nucleus accumbens reflect reward prediction errors incorporating confidence and uncertainty during visual decision-making in rats.

Hedonic hotspot in rat olfactory tubercle: map for mu-opioid, orexin, and muscimol enhancement of sucrose 'liking'.

This study investigates how different subregions of the rat olfactory tubercle modulate hedonic reactions to sucrose using pharmacological microinjections and behavioral assays.

Early life stress of maternal deprivation and peer-rearing jeopardize mesoprefrontal and mesolimbic dopamine receptors in the rhesus monkey

This study shows that maternal deprivation in rhesus monkeys leads to increased dopamine receptor binding in specific brain regions, suggesting altered dopaminergic function linked to behavioral impairments.

Anterior insula activity during alcohol and social reward self-administration and choice in male and female rats

This study investigates how anterior insula cortex activity relates to alcohol and social reward choice in rats, finding that increased aIC activity correlates with decision bias towards alcohol.

Bile Acids Regulate Accumbal Cholinergic Circuitry and Dopamine Release through TGR5 Activation

This study shows bile acids modulate cholinergic interneuron activity and dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens via TGR5 activation and concentration-dependent effects.

Methamphetamine Conditioned Place Preference in Adolescent Mice: Interaction Between Sex and Strain

This study investigates sex and strain differences in methamphetamine-induced conditioned place preference in adolescent mice and identifies associated neural circuit changes.

Lateral hypothalamic input engages a disinhibitory microcircuit in the dorsal raphe to promote behavior activation

The paper identifies a disinhibitory pathway from the lateral hypothalamus to the dorsal raphe nucleus that promotes behavioral activation by reducing local inhibition of serotonergic neurons.

Hypocretin receptor 1 blockade early in abstinence reduces future demand for cocaine

This study shows that blocking hypocretin receptor 1 early in abstinence reduces cocaine motivation and normalizes dopamine transmission in rats.

Individual differences in learning and decision-making: the role of COMT Val158Met polymorphism in transitive inference

This study examines how the COMT Val158Met polymorphism affects learning efficiency in a transitive inference task, showing Val homozygotes take longer to learn hierarchical relationships.

State and trait serotonin variations interact to shape the intrinsic connectivity and gradient architecture of the brain: a combined TPH2 genetics and tryptophan depletion study

The paper investigates how genetic variations in TPH2 and transient serotonin changes affect brain connectivity and gradients using fMRI and genetic data.

Control of Male Mouse Copulatory Behavior by Midbrain Dopamine Neurons

This study investigates how midbrain dopamine neurons control male mouse copulatory behavior, finding that their activity is experience-independent and critical for sustaining thrusting actions during mating.

Cholinergic-dopaminergic synergy and antagonism shape prediction-error broadcasting

The paper investigates how cholinergic and dopaminergic pathways interact in reward prediction-error signaling through optogenetic and chemogenetic experiments in mice.

A ventral tegmental area GABAergic projection to the ventral pallidum regulates value-based decision making in mice

The paper identifies a GABAergic pathway from the VTA to the VP that encodes unconditioned reward value and influences value-based decision-making in mice.

Dopamine ramps as a normative consequence of dual-process control

This paper proposes that dopamine ramps result from a dual-process learning system and demonstrates that the model reproduces key dopamine ramp phenomena.

Periaqueductal gray neurotensin neurons drive simultaneousthreat response and reinforcement

The paper identifies PAG-Nts neurons that co-release glutamate and neurotensin to activate dopamine neurons, driving both threat responses and operant reinforcement behaviors.

CRF receptor type 1 modulates the nigrostriatal dopamine projection and facilitates cognitive flexibility after acute and chronic stress

This study investigates how CRFR1 in the SNpc affects dopamine activity and cognitive flexibility in rats under stress, showing hemispheric shifts in control mechanisms.

Mediodorsal thalamus of alcohol-dependent mice shows genetic and physiological adaptations and alcohol-biased calcium signaling

This study examines genetic and physiological changes in the mediodorsal thalamus of alcohol-dependent mice and finds alcohol-biased calcium signaling during choice behaviors.

The silence of the rewards: Non-reward cue suppresses cue-driven behaviour in pavlovian-instrumental transfer

This study adapts the Pavlovian-instrumental transfer paradigm to include a non-rewarded cue, finding that neither male nor female rats show outcome-specific PIT when an active baseline is present.

ACTIVITY IN HUMAN DORSAL RAPHE NUCLEUS SIGNALS CHANGES IN BEHAVIOURAL POLICY

The paper shows that human dorsal raphe nucleus activity signals changes in behavioural policy based on environmental reward value, while dACC and AI track relative reward value.

Reward timescale controls the rate of behavioral and dopaminergic learning

The paper shows that the rate of behavioral and dopaminergic learning in mice is proportional to the reward interval, with a model explaining this relationship.

Sex differences in neural circuits driving binge drinking: A female-specific role for an amygdalo-striatal pathway

The paper identifies sex differences in neural circuits driving binge drinking, finding a female-specific role for the amygdalo-striatal pathway in alcohol misuse.

Divergent Roles of Nucleus Accumbens D1- and D2-MSNs in Regulating Hedonic Feeding

This study investigates the differential roles of D1- and D2-MSNs in regulating hedonic feeding in male and female mice using optogenetics, chemogenetics, and fiber photometry.

C57 and DBA mouse strains express distinct cocaine avoidance phenotypes in an operant runway independent of differences in striatal dynorphin-enkephalin balance

The paper tests if striatal dynorphin-enkephalin balance affects cocaine avoidance in mice, finding no significant strain differences or enkephalin necessity.

Potentiation of active locomotor state by spinal-projecting serotonergic neurons

The paper identifies spinal-projecting serotonergic neurons that enhance locomotor speed and duration through context-dependent activity and prolonged neuromodulatory effects.

Divergent ethanol drinking phenotypes are linked to region-specific dysregulation of serotonin systems in the mouse brain

The paper identifies region-specific serotonergic and opioid receptor gene expression differences linked to distinct ethanol drinking phenotypes in mice.

Hypocretin Receptor 1 Blockade Early in Abstinence Prevents Incubation of Cocaine Seeking and Normalizes Dopamine Transmission

Monoaminergic variation, cortical structure, and disaster trauma interact to shape emotional vulnerability

The paper examines how monoaminergic genetic variation, cortical structure, and trauma interact to influence emotional vulnerability using a large cohort dataset.

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor acts through calcium-permeable AMPA receptors to potentiate cocaine reward

This study shows that G-CSF enhances cocaine reward by promoting glutamatergic synaptic remodeling in the nucleus accumbens through calcium-permeable AMPA receptors.