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Ventral tegmental area astrocytes modulate cocaine reward by tonically releasing GABA.

Neuron | 2023

Addictive drugs increase ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine (DA) neuron activity through distinct cellular mechanisms, one of which involves disinhibition of DA neurons by inhibiting local GABA neurons. How drugs regulate VTA GABA neuron activity and drive addictive behaviors remains poorly understood. Here, we show that astrocytes control VTA GABA neuron activity in cocaine reward via tonic inhibition in mice. Repeated cocaine exposure potentiates astrocytic tonic GABA release through volume-regulated anion channels (VRACs) and augments tonic inhibition of VTA GABA neurons, thus downregulating their activities and disinhibiting nucleus accumbens (NAc) projecting DA neurons. Attenuation of tonic inhibition by either deleting Swell1 (Lrrc8a), the obligatory subunit of VRACs, in VTA astrocytes or disrupting δ subunit of GABAA receptors in VTA GABA neurons reduces cocaine-evoked changes in neuron activity, locomotion, and reward behaviors in mice. Together, our findings reveal the critical role of astrocytes in regulating the VTA local circuit and cocaine reward.

Pubmed ID: 36681074 RIS Download

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Associated grants

  • Agency: NINDS NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R01 NS118014
  • Agency: NIGMS NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R35 GM124824
  • Agency: NIDA NIH HHS, United States
    Id: P50 DA044123

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