Dopamine subsystems that track internal states.

ABSTRACT: Food and water are rewarding in part because they satisfy our internal needs^1,2. Dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) are activated by gustatory rewards^3-5, but how animals learn to associate these oral cues with the delayed physiological effects of ingestion is unknown. Here we show that individual dopaminergic neurons in the VTA respond to detection of nutrients or water at specific stages of ingestion. A major subset of dopaminergic neurons tracks changes in systemic hydration that occur tens of minutes after thirsty mice drink water, whereas different dopaminergic neurons respond to nutrients in the gastrointestinal tract. We show that information about fluid balance is transmitted to the VTA by a hypothalamic pathway and then re-routed to down

SUBMITTER: Grove JCR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9365689 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature