Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

The paper analyzes gene expression in dorsal striatum MSNs from a mouse model of chronic social conflict, identifying D1 and D2 gene pathways and their response to dopamine and stress.

This study tests the effects of three DREADD actuator drugs on working memory in rhesus monkeys, finding dose-dependent impairments in some monkeys.

The paper shows methylphenidate enhances cognitive effort by altering the benefit-to-cost ratio of cognitive work through striatal dopamine signaling.

The paper identifies a conserved enhancer variant in the GAL gene associated with male anxiety and ethanol intake using human data and CRISPR mouse models.

This study uses reinforcement learning models to investigate brain regions involved in processing reward expectations and mean reward rates, identifying distinct brainstem regions associated with mean reward rates.

This study shows that interrupting continuous opioid exposure increases drug-evoked adaptations in the mesolimbic dopamine system, leading to greater behavioral and transcriptional changes.

The paper develops a neurochemical model showing D1 and D2 dopamine receptors respond similarly to tonic and phasic signals due to receptor kinetics and abundance.

This paper presents a computational model of reward prediction error computation in the VTA, proposing that GABA signals encode magnitude and timing separately from the Ventral Striatum and Peduncolopontine.

The paper shows that D2-SPNs suppress outdated D1-SPN plasticity in the striatum to update goal-directed learning.

The paper shows that optogenetic stimulation of thalamic terminals in the dorsomedial striatum reinforces operant behavior, and that mGlu2 activation limits this reinforcement.

This study shows female rats consume and prefer oxycodone more than males in a chronic two-bottle oral choice paradigm, with escalated intake and greater dependence.

This study shows ethanol induces CPP or CPA via intra-VTA administration, with dose-dependent effects and MOR involvement, and alters NMDA receptor subunit expression in NAc and Hippocampus.

The paper provides causal evidence that dopamine transients from reward-predictive cues function as prediction errors by showing their role in second-order conditioning.

This study uses chemogenetic inhibition to show that the DLS indirect pathway reinforces action sequences, while the DMS pathways control sequence initiation and completion.

This study evaluates lorcaserin's effect on heroin-vs-food choice in rhesus monkeys, finding it ineffective compared to saline and naltrexone.

This study shows that GABAergic and glutamatergic ventral pallidal neurons control opposing motivational behaviors in mice by encoding positive and negative motivational value.

This study shows that dopamine transients in learning contexts do not create cached value but instead support valueless associative learning.

This study shows that striatal patches are critical for maintaining habitual behaviors and behavioral stability, as their lesioning disrupts habitual responding and increases behavioral variability.

The paper measures glutamate and nitric oxide release in the nucleus accumbens core during cocaine cue and novel context exposure in rats, finding differences in magnitude but similar temporal dynamics.

The paper identifies a neural circuit in mice that drives general aggressive behaviors by encoding aggressive state and topography, and shows its activity-dependent control of aggression.

This study links dopamine D2 receptor availability in the ventral striatum to neural representations of subjective value in humans during decision-making.

This study shows that morphine reduces synaptic activity and increases intrinsic excitability in D2R-MSNs but not D1R-MSNs in the nucleus accumbens shell of mice.

This study uses a discrete-trial current-intensity intracranial self-stimulation procedure to assess both reward-enhancing and aversive effects of ethanol in mice, finding dose-dependent changes in response thresholds.

This study investigates how early-life adversity affects vulnerability to opioid addiction in rats, finding that it leads to addiction-like behaviors and altered reward circuitry.

This study shows that mTORC1 in the orbitofrontal cortex drives habitual alcohol seeking, with GluN2B recruitment during withdrawal activating mTORC1 and promoting this behavior.

The paper investigates how different ventral pallidum cell types and their projections contribute to relapse to alcohol-seeking in rats, identifying distinct roles for Gad1 and PV neurons.

The paper identifies serotonergic plasticity in the dorsal raphe nucleus as a marker of susceptibility to stress-induced anhedonia and shows that amygdalar activation can induce resilience.

The paper shows punishment insensitivity in rats is due to impaired instrumental control, not aversion sensitivity or reward dominance.

This study shows that deleting the neurotensin receptor 1 in mice reduces methamphetamine self-administration and prevents the decrease in dopamine neuron firing frequency associated with prolonged use.

This study shows that neurotensin neurons in the central amygdala of mice influence ethanol and sweet fluid consumption through projections to the parabrachial nucleus.