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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2019 Apr 24.
Published in final edited form as: Cell Rep. 2019 Apr 9;27(2):481–490.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.03.055

Figure 1. Controlling and Monitoring DA Function.

Figure 1.

(A) Schematic showing viral transduction of VTA DA neurons (left), FSCV electrode placement in the NAc (middle), and optical fiber placement in the VTA (right).

(B) Confocal images showing staining for ChR2-eYFP, anti-tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), and anti-DAPI in the VTA. Scale bars represent 500 mm (left) and 50 μm (right).

(C) Frequency-dependent DA release during optical stimulation in awake mice (n = 4). Mean DA concentration change (Δ[DA]) during each stimulation (left) and mean (± SEM) maximal Δ[DA] relative to the 50 Hz stimulation (right). Stimulation frequency increased while duration remained constant at 1 s.

(D) Acquisition and expression of VTA DA neuron intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS). As the response ratio increases, mean (± SEM) total number of lever presses does not significantly change (sessions 5–12, FR5-FR20; one-way RM ANOVA:F(7,35) = 1.92, p = 0.10), while the number of mean (± SEM) stimulations earned decreases (one-way RM ANOVA: F(7,35) = 148.0, p < 0.001; ***p < 0.001, *p < 0.05) across consecutive 30-min ICSS sessions and increasing response ratios (n = 6).