Presenters: Daniel Isemonger
Authors: Daniel-Luke Isemonger, Zach Ward
Faculty Advisor: Jeffrey Edwards
Institution: Brigham Young University
Drug addiction is a growing problem both locally and internationally. Addictions are mediated by the reward circuit or the ventral tegmental area (VTA), which is composed of dopamine containing neurons and inhibitory GABAergic neurons. However, there is much to learn about how these neurons interact to mediate reward. We are investigating the connections between GABAergic and dopaminergic neurons within the VTA and how they impact the processing of rewarding or pleasurable experiences. Using monosynaptic tracing, we are looking to find evidence supporting the hypothesis that these dopaminergic neurons are innervated by local GABAergic neurons. This method uses a modified rabies virus (RV) and an adeno-associated helper virus. The modified RV can only infect cells that were originally infected with the helper virus and the neuronal cell immediately pre-synaptic. The modified RV causes infected cells to express red fluorescent protein (RFP). We use mice that have the GAD67-GFP gene knocked-in, causing their GABAergic neurons to express green fluorescent protein (GFP). We expect to see cells that fluoresce both green and red, confirming our hypothesis that the dopaminergic neurons of the VTA are innervated by GABAergic neurons and provide valuable insights into the regulation of addiction and reward pathways in the brain.