The Rostromedial Tegmental Nucleus: Anatomical Studies and Roles in Sleep and Substance Addictions in Rats and Mice
Open Access
- 1 December 2020
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd in Nature and Science of Sleep
- Vol. ume 12, 1215-1223
- https://doi.org/10.2147/nss.s278026
Abstract
The rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), a brake of the dopamine system, is specifically activated by aversive stimuli, such as foot shock. It is principally composed of gamma-aminobutyric acid neurons. However, there is no exact location of the RMTg on the brain stereotaxic atlas. The RMTg can be defined by c-Fos staining elicited by psychostimulants, the position of retrograde-labeled neurons stained by injections into the ventral tegmental area (VTA), the terminal field formed by axons from the lateral habenula, and some molecular markers identified as specifically expressed in the RMTg such as FoxP1. The RMTg receives a broad range of inputs and produces diverse outputs, which indicates that the RMTg has multiple functions. First, the RMTg plays an essential role for non-rapid eye movement sleep. Additionally, the RMTg serves a vital role in response to addiction. Opiates increase the firing rates of dopaminergic neurons in the VTA by acting on μ-opioid receptors on RMTg neurons and their terminals inside the VTA. In this review, we summarize the recent research advances on the anatomical location of the RMTg in rats and mice, its projections, and its regulation of sleep–wake behavior and addiction.Keywords
This publication has 74 references indexed in Scilit:
- Recognition and diagnosis of sleep disorders in Parkinson’s diseaseZeitschrift für Neurologie, 2012
- Mesopontine rostromedial tegmental nucleus neurons projecting to the dorsal raphe and pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus: psychostimulant-elicited Fos expression and collateralizationBrain Structure and Function, 2011
- Inhibitory Inputs from Rostromedial Tegmental Neurons Regulate Spontaneous Activity of Midbrain Dopamine Cells and Their Responses to Drugs of AbuseNeuropsychopharmacology, 2011
- Neuronal circuits underlying acute morphine action on dopamine neuronsProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2011
- Sleep State SwitchingNeuron, 2010
- Effects of Drugs of Abuse on Putative Rostromedial Tegmental Neurons, Inhibitory Afferents to Midbrain Dopamine CellsNeuropsychopharmacology, 2010
- Lateral habenula projections to dopamine and GABA neurons in the rat ventral tegmental areaEuropean Journal of Neuroscience, 2009
- The Rostromedial Tegmental Nucleus (RMTg), a GABAergic Afferent to Midbrain Dopamine Neurons, Encodes Aversive Stimuli and Inhibits Motor ResponsesNeuron, 2009
- The mesopontine rostromedial tegmental nucleus: A structure targeted by the lateral habenula that projects to the ventral tegmental area of Tsai and substantia nigra compactaJournal of Comparative Neurology, 2009
- Prominent Activation of Brainstem and Pallidal Afferents of the Ventral Tegmental Area by CocaineNeuropsychopharmacology, 2007