1. Acupuncture reduces cocaine psychomotor responses by activating the rostromedial tegmental nucleus
- Author
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Scott C. Steffensen, Hee Young Kim, Suchan Chang, Yeonhee Ryu, Lee Soo-Min, Sang Chan Kim, Yu Fan, Bong Hyo Lee, Kyle B. Bills, and Chae Ha Yang
- Subjects
Male ,Tegmentum Mesencephali ,Acupuncture Therapy ,Medicine (miscellaneous) ,Nucleus accumbens ,Optogenetics ,Nucleus Accumbens ,Midbrain ,Rats, Sprague-Dawley ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Cocaine ,Reward ,Dopamine ,Medicine ,Animals ,GABAergic Neurons ,Pharmacology ,business.industry ,Ventral Tegmental Area ,030227 psychiatry ,Rats ,Ventral tegmental area ,Psychiatry and Mental health ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Rostromedial tegmental nucleus ,GABAergic ,Brain stimulation reward ,business ,Neuroscience ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery ,Psychomotor Performance ,medicine.drug - Abstract
The rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), a GABAergic afferent to midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons, has emerged as an integral player in both rewarding and nociceptive responses. While previous studies have demonstrated that acupuncture modulates DA transmission in the mesolimbic reward system originating in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and projecting to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and can reduce drug self-administration, the central links between peripheral acupuncture signals and brain reward systems are not well-characterized. Thus, we hypothesised that acupuncture would elicit inhibitory signals from RMTg neurons to brain reward systems. Acupuncture reduced acute cocaine-induced locomotor activity and DA release in a point-specific manner, which was blocked by optogenetic silencing or chemical lesion of the RMTg. The acupuncture effect was mimicked by chemical activation of the RMTg. Acupuncture activated RMTg GABA neurons. In addition, the inhibitory effects of acupuncture on acute cocaine-induced locomotor activity were prevented by electrolytic lesions of the lateral habenula (LHb) or fasciculus retroflexus (FR), areas known to project to the RMTg. These findings suggest that acupuncture recruits the RMTg to reduce the psychomotor responses enhanced by acute cocaine.
- Published
- 2021