In: Biology
The prelimbic cortex of the prefrontal cortex has glutamatergic projections to which regions involved in drug addiction?
Select one:
a. nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental area
b. nucleus accumbens
c. dorsal raphe nuclei
d. ventral tegmental area and dorsal raphe nucleus
e.
ventral tegmental area
Solution : Answer is option B; Nucleus accumbens.
The addiction towards drugs represents a dramatic downregulation of motivational and related circuits. Studies suggests that drug-induced re-establishment is mediated by the pathway that links the prelimbic prefrontal cortex to the ventral striatum . In studies on rats, neurotransmitter systems that are involved in drug-induced reestablishment comprise a glutamatergic projection from the prelimbic prefrontal cortex to the nucleus accumbens that is modulated through dopamine activity on specific D1 and D2 receptors in the frontal cortex