| First Author | Nam MH | Year | 2019 |
| Journal | Cell Rep | Volume | 28 |
| Issue | 5 | Pages | 1154-1166.e5 |
| PubMed ID | 31365861 | Mgi Jnum | J:286921 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6390630 | Doi | 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.06.071 |
| Citation | Nam MH, et al. (2019) Activation of Astrocytic mu-Opioid Receptor Causes Conditioned Place Preference. Cell Rep 28(5):1154-1166.e5 |
| abstractText | The underlying mechanisms of how positive emotional valence (e.g., pleasure) causes preference of an associated context is poorly understood. Here, we show that activation of astrocytic mu-opioid receptor (MOR) drives conditioned place preference (CPP) by means of specific modulation of astrocytic MOR, an exemplar endogenous Gi protein-coupled receptor (Gi-GPCR), in the CA1 hippocampus. Long-term potentiation (LTP) induced by a subthreshold stimulation with the activation of astrocytic MOR at the Schaffer collateral pathway accounts for the memory acquisition to induce CPP. This astrocytic MOR-mediated LTP induction is dependent on astrocytic glutamate released upon activation of the astrocytic MOR and the consequent activation of the presynaptic mGluR1. The astrocytic MOR-dependent LTP and CPP were recapitulated by a chemogenetic activation of astrocyte-specifically expressed Gi-DREADD hM4Di. Our study reveals that the transduction of inhibitory Gi-signaling into augmented excitatory synaptic transmission through astrocytic glutamate is critical for the acquisition of contextual memory for CPP. |
