VTA mTOR Signaling Regulates Dopamine Dynamics, Cocaine-Induced Synaptic Alterations, and Reward.

ABSTRACT: Mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) regulates long-term synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory by controlling dendritic protein synthesis. The mTOR inhibitor rapamycin has been shown to attenuate the behavioral effects of drugs of abuse, including cocaine. Using viral vectors to selectively delete mTOR in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) in adult male mTOR^loxP/loxP mice, we investigated the role of mTOR in regulating neuronal morphology, basal synaptic transmission, dopamine dynamics, and cocaine-induced synaptic plasticity and rewarding effects. We find that targeted deletion of mTOR in the VTA had no significant effects on soma size and dendritic morphology of VTA neurons but significantly decreased dopamine release and reuptake in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell, a ma

SUBMITTER: Liu X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5854804 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature