tVTA/RMTg Area Research- Neuroanatomy

What's your favorite neurotransmitter?

Dopamine	41.7%	[ 5 ]
Seretonin	25.0%	[ 3 ]
GABA	16.7%	[ 2 ]
Glutamate	16.7%	[ 2 ]
Acetylcholine	0.0%	[ 0 ]
Nacho Cheese	0.0%	[ 0 ]
Total Votes:			[ 12 ]

[Fluxit Aqua et Sanguine]

Yo, science-inclined dudes!

Have you heard about the new research suggesting that the tail of the Ventral Tegmental Area in the human cerebral cortex is some kind of GABA master structure?

It's really funky; I was just reading this article about it: "Braking Dopamine Systems: A new GABA master structure for mesolimbic and nigrostriatal functions” Barrot et al. (2012) J. Neurosci., 32:14094-14101

If you have time, you should look it up, too. It's really inteesting how the area was recently discovered and how people don't know whether to call it part of the VTA or something else entirely. What do you think?

[Fluxit Aqua et Sanguine]

heart

[Khurse]

I daresay you aren't going to garner much attention on that topic here. Perhaps some of the guilds are more suitable.

I'm going to say, however, that you've intrigued me. At the very least, it's going to give me some ammo to throw the annoying neurologists off track when they start their babble again during clinical rotation meetings.

[MathewLogan]

I have a few finals I am preparing for, but I will check it out afterward. My interest is primarily in neuron-astrocyte communication in the prefrontal and motor areas, but I am always excited to learn about new findings. Thanks for the post! I will comment again here when I have read the journal article.

[MathewLogan]

This is very interesting. The the direct and indirect dopamine pathways in the basal ganglia already have several layers of feedback and feedforward loops. It is interesting to see that a complete distinct network, which itself seems to be fairly complex, can act as another influence on the basal ganglia. What were you specifically interested in when you posted this journal article?

Thanks for a good post.

[Fluxit Aqua et Sanguine]

MathewLogan

This is very interesting. The the direct and indirect dopamine pathways in the basal ganglia already have several layers of feedback and feedforward loops. It is interesting to see that a complete distinct network, which itself seems to be fairly complex, can act as another influence on the basal ganglia. What were you specifically interested in when you posted this journal article?

Thanks for a good post.

Sorry for not replying before! I've been a bit busy of late.

I think I was most interested in the fact that this area helps to explain the effects of opioids on dopamine in the brain, which is very interesting. There's also the simple fact that this area is such a recent discovery; I've just begun really studying neuroscience (having been a major/minor in different areas in college) and, even if it's rather basic stuff compared to what a more experienced person knows, it is all quite fascinating.

[MathewLogan]

Fluxit Aqua et Sanguine

MathewLogan

This is very interesting. The the direct and indirect dopamine pathways in the basal ganglia already have several layers of feedback and feedforward loops. It is interesting to see that a complete distinct network, which itself seems to be fairly complex, can act as another influence on the basal ganglia. What were you specifically interested in when you posted this journal article?

Thanks for a good post.

Sorry for not replying before! I've been a bit busy of late.

I think I was most interested in the fact that this area helps to explain the effects of opioids on dopamine in the brain, which is very interesting. There's also the simple fact that this area is such a recent discovery; I've just begun really studying neuroscience (having been a major/minor in different areas in college) and, even if it's rather basic stuff compared to what a more experienced person knows, it is all quite fascinating.

Ahh, yeah, it is very interesting. As the paper mentioned, it is rare for new anatomical areas to be defined in the brain these days. You would also find a recent technology called "Clarity", developed at Stanford, to be quite interesting. They have created a hydrogel capable of maintaining the structure of cells after you remove the lipid membranes. It essentially turns the brain invisible, and you can trace pathways in three dimensions (which is nicer than slicing). What made you interested in neuroscience? I am double majoring at my university in neuroscience and chemistry and I absolutely love it.

[Dr Dimari]

This could be really useful in understanding therapeutic methods of the drugs we use that act neurologically. Maybe find other ways of pain blockade and other things.

Sorry for my delay in posting. Very interesting paper.

[MathewLogan]

Dr Dimari

This could be really useful in understanding therapeutic methods of the drugs we use that act neurologically. Maybe find other ways of pain blockade and other things.

Sorry for my delay in posting. Very interesting paper.

Particularly for poorly understood antidepressants.