• Jiangping Chan, Yiling Ni, Pengyue Zhang, Jichuan Zhang, and Yanmei Chen.
• Medical Faculty, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan 650550, China.
• Neuroscience. 2017 Jan 6; 340: 542-550.

AbstractLateral habenula (LHb) is important for emotional processing. It is a link node between forebrain and midbrain. LHb is reciprocally connected with ventral tegmental area, acting as a regulatory center for the dopaminergic system. However, the role of dopamine receptors in the LHb in emotional processing is less clear. In the present study, the expression of dopamine D1 and D2 receptors in LHb was testified by western blot. In addition, D1- or D2-like receptor agonist or antagonist was bilaterally administered into the LHb, anxiety-like and depressive-like behaviors were tested 15min later in rats. In addition, the effects of LHb dopamine receptor activation and inactivation on aversive learning and memory were assessed. Our results showed that: (1) activation and inhibition of D1R but not D2R in LHb increased anxiety-like behavior but decreased depressive-like behavior in rats. (2) D1R activation and inactivation in LHb impaired aversive memory acquisition but not consolidation in rats, D1R agonist also impaired aversive memory retrieval in rats. These results might provide new clues about how LHb was involved in emotional processing.Copyright © 2016 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

33 keywords...

hide…