ReviewPsychopharmacology2018
Ethanol actions on the ventral tegmental area: novel potential targets on reward pathway neurons.
Review in Psychopharmacology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
40 citing papers in PubMed, 61 citations in OpenAlex.
- BDNF restores impaired long-term potentiation of GABAergic synapses induced by chronic ethanol exposure in the VTA and attenuates reward-seeking behavior.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Article
- Clinical GDNF delivery methods for Parkinson's disease.Journal of Parkinson's disease · 2026Review
- Dopamine D2 and GABA(A) Receptors Differentially Regulate Ethanol-Induced Aversion and Reward Through Corticolimbic Circuits.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Activation of a locus coeruleus to ventral tegmental area noradrenergic pathway blunts binge-like ethanol intake and promotes aversive unconditioned responses in TH-ires-Cre mice.Neuropharmacology · 2026Article
- Brain Amylin Signaling, Feeding, and Reward.Comprehensive Physiology · 2026Review
- The Role of the Ventral Tegmental Area in Reward and Addiction: A Comprehensive Review.Neurosciences (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) · 2026Review
- Systemic Interplay of BDNF and Serotonin Pathways Defines Behavioral and Molecular Responses to Midbrain 5-HT7 Overexpression and Chronic Ethanol Consumption.Biomolecules · 2026Article
- Chronic alcohol consumption downregulates TRPA1 ion channel and the main peptidergic messengers of the Edinger-Westphal nucleus.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- PACAP Signalling Network in the Nucleus Accumbens Core Regulates Reinstatement Behaviour in Rat.Addiction biology · 2025Article
- Investigating whether alcohol is transformed to norepinephrine or dopamine in the mouse brain.Pharmacological reports : PR · 2025Article
- Role of Lactobacillus plantarum-Derived Extracellular Vesicles in Regulating Alcohol Consumption.Molecular neurobiology · 2025Article
- Early life psychosocial stress increases binge-like ethanol consumption and CSF1R inhibition prevents stress-induced alterations in microglia and brain macrophage population density.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2025Article
- Neural Circuitries and Alcohol Use Disorder: Cutting Corners in the Cycle.Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · 2025Review
- Acute ethanol disrupts conditioned inhibition in the male rat.Psychopharmacology · 2024Article
- Article
- Estrogen signaling in the dorsal raphe regulates binge-like drinking in mice.Translational psychiatry · 2024Article
- Transcriptional Dysregulation of Cholesterol Synthesis Underlies Hyposensitivity to GABA in the Ventral Tegmental Area During Acute Alcohol Withdrawal.Biological psychiatry · 2024Article
- Selecting an optimal real-time fMRI neurofeedback method for alcohol craving control training.Psychophysiology · 2023Article
- RGS6 negatively regulates inhibitory G protein signaling in dopamine neurons and positively regulates binge-like alcohol consumption in mice.British journal of pharmacology · 2023Article
- Sex differences in neuronal activation during aversion-resistant alcohol consumption.Alcohol, clinical & experimental research · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The ventral tegmental area (VTA) evaluates salience of environmental stimuli and provides dopaminergic innervation to many brain areas affected by acute and chronic ethanol exposure. While primarily associated with rewarding and reinforcing stimuli, recent evidence indicates a role for the VTA in aversion as well. Ethanol actions in the VTA may trigger neuroadaptation resulting in reduction of the aversive responses to alcohol and a relative increase in the rewarding responses. In searching for effective pharmacotherapies for the treatment of alcohol abuse and alcoholism, recognition of this imbalance may reveal novel strategies. In addition to conventional receptor/ion channel pharmacotherapies, epigenetic factors that control neuroadaptation to chronic ethanol treatment can be targeted as an avenue for development of therapeutic approaches to restore the balance. Furthermore, when exploring therapies to address reward/aversion imbalance in the action of alcohol in the VTA, sex differences have to be taken into account to ensure effective treatment for both men and women. These principles apply to a VTA-centric approach to therapies, but should hold true when thinking about the overall approach in the development of neuroactive drugs to treat alcohol use disorders. Although the functions of the VTA itself are complex, it is a useful model system to evaluate the reward/aversion imbalance that occurs with ethanol exposure and could be used to provide new leads in the efforts to develop novel drugs to treat alcoholism.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.