Bidirectional regulation of reward, punishment, and arousal by dopamine, the lateral habenula and the rostromedial tegmentum (RMTg)

Publication date: April 2019Source: Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, Volume 26Author(s): Thomas C Jhou, Peter J VentoDopamine (DA) neurons play multiple roles in reward-related behavior,including distinct roles in learning versus performance of reward-seeking, as well as effort-based decision-making and sleep–wake regulation. We review the increasing evidence that a major inhibitory input to DA neurons arising from the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) plays a similarly wide range of roles that strikingly oppose multiple DA functions. These roles are in part dependent on excitatory inputs from the lateral habenula (LHb), although contributions from additional forebrain and brainstem RMTg afferents are likely also important. We also review evidence that increased RMTg/LHb activity drives depressive behaviors, while reductions lead to mania-like behaviors, suggesting that the balance of DA and RMTg/LHb activity could regulate the balance of behavior on a manic/depressive spectrum.
Source: Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research