Nicotine and alcohol: the role of midbrain dopaminergic neurons in drug reinforcement.

ABSTRACT: Nicotine and alcohol addiction are leading causes of preventable death worldwide and continue to constitute a huge socio-economic burden. Both nicotine and alcohol perturb the brain's mesocorticolimbic system. Dopamine (DA) neurons projecting from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to multiple downstream structures, including the nucleus accumbens, prefrontal cortex, and amygdala, are highly involved in the maintenance of healthy brain function. VTA DA neurons play a crucial role in associative learning and reinforcement. Nicotine and alcohol usurp these functions, promoting reinforcement of drug taking behaviors. In this review, we will first describe how nicotine and alcohol individually affect VTA DA neurons by examining how drug exposure alters the heterogeneous VTA microcircuit and netw

SUBMITTER: Morel C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6431587 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature