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01-08-2017 | Short Communication

Activation of ventral tegmental area dopamine neurons produces wakefulness through dopamine D₂-like receptors in mice

Authors: Yo Oishi, Yoshiaki Suzuki, Koji Takahashi, Toshiya Yonezawa, Takeshi Kanda, Yohko Takata, Yoan Cherasse, Michael Lazarus

Published in: Brain Structure and Function | Issue 6/2017

Abstract

A growing body of evidence suggests that dopamine plays a role in sleep–wake regulation, but the dopamine-producing brain areas that control sleep–wake states are unclear. In this study, we chemogenetically activated dopamine neurons in the ventral midbrain of mice to examine the role of these neurons in sleep–wake regulation. We found that activation of dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), but not in the substantia nigra, strongly induced wakefulness, although both cell populations expressed the neuronal activity marker c-Fos after chemogenetic stimulation. Analysis of the pattern of behavioral states revealed that VTA activation increased the duration of wakefulness and decreased the number of wakefulness episodes, indicating that wakefulness was consolidated by VTA activation. The increased wakefulness evoked by VTA activation was completely abolished by pretreatment with the dopamine D₂/D₃ receptor antagonist raclopride, but not by the D₁ receptor antagonist SCH23390. These findings indicate that the activation of VTA dopamine neurons promotes wakefulness via D₂/D₃ receptors.

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Title: Activation of ventral tegmental area dopamine neurons produces wakefulness through dopamine D2-like receptors in mice
Authors: Yo Oishi
Yoshiaki Suzuki
Koji Takahashi
Toshiya Yonezawa
Takeshi Kanda
Yohko Takata
Yoan Cherasse
Michael Lazarus
Publication date: 01-08-2017
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: Brain Structure and Function / Issue 6/2017
Print ISSN: 1863-2653
Electronic ISSN: 1863-2661
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-017-1365-7

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Activation of ventral tegmental area dopamine neurons produces wakefulness through dopamine D₂-like receptors in mice

Abstract

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