The brain on drugs: Defining the neural anatomy and physiology of morphine on dopamine neurons
Tuesday, October 4, 2011 - 11:00
in Biology & Nature
(Medical Xpress) -- Morphine's analgesic properties are as potent as its addictive potential are problematic. The neural pathway for that addiction is typically associated with dopamine (DA) neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA), despite the fact that the specific neuronal mechanisms involved are not well articulated. Recently, however, research conducted at the Université de Bordeaux and Université de Strasbourg in France found that morphine increases the firing of dopamine neurons by activating μ opioid receptor (μOR) receptors on the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (the VTA's GABAergic tail) and that there is no morphine-induced activation of dopamine neurons in the absence of tonic VTA glutamatergic modulation.
