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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Mar 1.
Published in final edited form as: Neuropharmacology. 2011 Jan 26;62(3):1574–1583. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2011.01.022

Figure 2. Mechanism by which NMDAR deletion in cortical parvalbumin (PV) neurons could alter cortical activity, leading to the emergence of subcortical dopamine hyperactivity in mice.

Figure 2

NMDAR deletion in cortical PV neurons down-regulates their GABA synthesis and release, which not only results in cortical disinhibition but also impairs the synchronized activity of principal neurons. This may reduce the cortical output to VTA and thereby increases dopamine activity in the nucleus accumbens.

DA = dopamine, mPFC = medial prefrontal cortex, VTA = ventral tegmental area.

Diagram is modified from Lewis and Gonzalez-Burgos 2006.