Search results for "Mesolimbic pathway"
showing 6 items of 6 documents
Pain-induced alterations in the dynorphinergic system within the mesocorticolimbic pathway: Implication for alcohol addiction.
2020
Latest studies have revealed that pain negatively impacts on reward processing and motivation leading to negative affective states and stress. These states not only reduce quality of life of patients by increasing the appearance of psychiatric comorbidities, but also have an important impact on vulnerability to drug abuse, including alcohol. In fact, clinical, epidemiological but also preclinical studies have revealed that the presence of pain is closely related to alcohol use disorders (AUDs). All this evidence suggests that pain is a factor that increases the risk of suffering AUD, predicting heavy drinking behavior and relapse drinking in those patients with a previous history of AUD. Th…
Glutamate and opioid antagonists modulate dopamine levels evoked by innately attractive male chemosignals in the nucleus accumbens of female rats
2017
Sexual chemosignals detected by vomeronasal and olfactory systems mediate intersexual attraction in rodents, and act as a natural reinforcer to them. The mesolimbic pathway processes natural rewards, and the nucleus accumbens receives olfactory information via glutamatergic projections from the amygdala. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the involvement of the mesolimbic pathway in the attraction toward sexual chemosignals. Our data show that female rats with no previous experience with males or their chemosignals display an innate preference for male-soiled bedding. Focal administration of the opioid antagonist b-funaltrexamine into the posterior ventral tegmental area does no…
Pre-Clinical Studies with D-Penicillamine as a Novel Pharmacological Strategy to Treat Alcoholism: Updated Evidences
2017
Ethanol, as other drugs of abuse, is able to activate the ventral tegmental area dopamine (VTA-DA) neurons leading to positively motivational alcohol-seeking behavior and use, and, ultimately to ethanol addiction. In the last decades, the involvement of brain-derived acetaldehyde (ACD) in the ethanol actions in the mesolimbic pathway has been widely demonstrated. Consistent published results have provided a mechanistic support to the use of ACD inactivating agents to block the motivational and reinforcing properties of ethanol. Hence, in the last years, several pre-clinical studies have been performed in order to analyze the effects of the sequestering ACD agents in the prevention of ethano…
The effects of dopamine D 2 and D 3 antagonists on spontaneous motor activity and morphine-induced hyperactivity in male mice
1999
Rationale: Dopaminergic neurotransmission, in particular the mesolimbic pathway, is involved in spontaneous locomotor activity and in morphine-induced hyperactivity, since the drugs acting on DA receptors can modify the action of morphine and this effect could be dependent on the type of DA receptor affected. Objective: In this study, the action of U-99194A maleate, haloperidol, sulpiride and morphine (5, 10, 20, 40 mg/kg) on locomotor activity in male mice was evaluated. Likewise, the effects of these dopaminergic antagonists on morphine-induced hyperactivity were studied. Methods: Animals treated with U-99194A maleate (2.5, 5, 10, 20 mg/kg), haloperidol (0.075, 0.1 mg/kg), sulpiride (20, …
Inflammatory Pain Promotes Increased Opioid Self-Administration: Role of Dysregulated Ventral Tegmental Area μ Opioid Receptors
2015
Pain management in opioid abusers engenders ethical and practical difficulties for clinicians, often resulting in pain mismanagement. Although chronic opioid administration may alter pain states, the presence of pain itself may alter the propensity to self-administer opioids, and previous history of drug abuse comorbid with chronic pain promotes higher rates of opioid misuse. Here, we tested the hypothesis that inflammatory pain leads to increased heroin self-administration resulting from altered mu opioid receptor (MOR) regulation of mesolimbic dopamine (DA) transmission. To this end, the complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) model of inflammation was used to assess the neurochemical and functi…
Ascorbic acid antagonizes ethanol-induced locomotor activity in the open-field.
1999
Abstract It has been reported that ascorbic acid (AA) antagonizes the physiological and behavioral effects of dopamine (DA). AA reduces locomotor activity induced by dopaminergic agonist drugs. Also, AA amplifies the action of antidopaminergic drugs. Ethanol, like other drugs, produces a release of DA in the mesolimbic pathway, and at some doses, induces locomotor activity in mice. The ethanol-induced locomotor activity could be dopamine-dependent because it can be reduced by antidopaminergic drugs. In the present study, we investigated whether an acute administration of AA reduces ethanol-induced locomotor behavior. AA, at doses (0.0, 21.85, 87.5, 175, 350, and 1400 mg/kg) was injected IP …