Operant self-stimulation of thalamic terminals in the dorsomedial striatum is constrained by metabotropic glutamate receptor 2.

ABSTRACT: Dorsal striatal manipulations including stimulation of dopamine release and activation of medium spiny neurons (MSNs) are sufficient to drive reinforcement-based learning. Glutamatergic innervation of the striatum by the cortex and thalamus is a critical determinant of MSN activity and local regulation of dopamine release. However, the relationship between striatal glutamatergic afferents and behavioral reinforcement is not well understood. We evaluated the reinforcing properties of optogenetic stimulation of thalamostriatal terminals, which are associated with vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (Vglut2) expression, in the dorsomedial striatum (DMS), a region implicated in goal-directed behaviors. In mice expressing channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) under control of the Vglut2 promoter, optical sti

SUBMITTER: Johnson KA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7360544 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature