| First Author | Tan B | Year | 2024 |
| Journal | Science | Volume | 384 |
| Issue | 6693 | Pages | eadk6742 |
| PubMed ID | 38669575 | Mgi Jnum | J:348865 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:7645562 | Doi | 10.1126/science.adk6742 |
| Citation | Tan B, et al. (2024) Drugs of abuse hijack a mesolimbic pathway that processes homeostatic need. Science 384(6693):eadk6742 |
| abstractText | Drugs of abuse are thought to promote addiction in part by "hijacking" brain reward systems, but the underlying mechanisms remain undefined. Using whole-brain FOS mapping and in vivo single-neuron calcium imaging, we found that drugs of abuse augment dopaminoceptive ensemble activity in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and disorganize overlapping ensemble responses to natural rewards in a cell type-specific manner. Combining FOS-Seq, CRISPR-perturbation, and single-nucleus RNA sequencing, we identified Rheb as a molecular substrate that regulates cell type-specific signal transduction in NAc while enabling drugs to suppress natural reward consumption. Mapping NAc-projecting regions activated by drugs of abuse revealed input-specific effects on natural reward consumption. These findings characterize the dynamic, molecular and circuit basis of a common reward pathway, wherein drugs of abuse interfere with the fulfillment of innate needs. |
