Rostromedial tegmental nucleus nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) signaling regulates anxiety- and depression-like behaviors in alcohol withdrawn rats.

ABSTRACT: Recent studies indicate that stimulation of the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) can drive a negative affective state and that nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) may play a role in affective disorders and drug addiction. The N/OFQ precursor prepronociceptin encoding genes Pnoc are situated in RMTg neurons. To determine whether N/OFQ signaling contributes to the changes in both behavior phenotypes and RMTg activity of alcohol withdrawn (Post-EtOH) rats, we trained adult male Long-Evans rats, randomly assigned into the ethanol and Naïve groups to consume either 20% ethanol or water-only under an intermittent-access procedure. Using the fluorescence in situ hybridization technique combined with retrograde tracing, we show that the ventral tegmental area projecting RMTg neurons express Pnoc a

SUBMITTER: Li W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10156713 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature