Opto-seq reveals input-specific immediate-early gene induction in ventral tegmental area cell types.

ABSTRACT: The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is a critical node in circuits governing motivated behavior and is home to diverse populations of neurons that release dopamine, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate, or combinations of these neurotransmitters. The VTA receives inputs from many brain regions, but a comprehensive understanding of input-specific activation of VTA neuronal subpopulations is lacking. To address this, we combined optogenetic stimulation of select VTA inputs with single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) and highly multiplexed in situ hybridization to identify distinct neuronal clusters and characterize their spatial distribution and activation patterns. Quantification of immediate-early gene (IEG) expression revealed that different inputs activated select VTA subpopulations

SUBMITTER: Simon RC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11343674 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature