Bi-directional effect of increasing doses of baclofen on reinforcement learning

• Published in: Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience Vol. 5; p. 40
• Main Authors: Terrier, Jean, Ort, Andres, Yvon, Cédric, Saj, Arnaud, Vuilleumier, Patrik, Lüscher, Christian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Research Foundation 22.07.2011; Frontiers Media S.A
• Subjects: Addictions; Addictive behaviors; anti-craving treatment; Baclofen; Behavior; bi‐directional effect; Brain slice preparation; Cocaine; Decision making; Dopamine; Drug dosages; Firing rate; instrumental learning; Learning; mesolimbic dopamine system; Neurons; Neuroscience; Proteins; Reinforcement; Trends; Ventral Tegmental Area; Ventral tegmentum; γ-Aminobutyric acid B receptors; instrumental learning; ventral tegmental area; anti-craving treatment; bi-directional effect; mesolimbic dopamine system; reward-prediction error; baclofen

In rodents as well as in humans, efficient reinforcement learning depends on dopamine (DA) released from ventral tegmental area (VTA) neurons. It has been shown that in brain slices of mice, GABA(B)-receptor agonists at low concentrations increase the firing frequency of VTA-DA neurons, while high c...