ArticleBrain structure & function2022
Top-down projections of the prefrontal cortex to the ventral tegmental area, laterodorsal tegmental nucleus, and median raphe nucleus.
Article in Brain structure & function, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Article
- A neural substrate for targeted analgesia associated with attenuated serotonergic transmission in a mouse model of medication overuse headache.The journal of headache and pain · 2026Article
- Nps-Expressing Neurons Receive Extensive Input From Auditory Brainstem Nuclei.The Journal of comparative neurology · 2026Article
- Abdominal Ultrasound Stimulation Alleviates Negative Symptoms Through Modulation of Serotonin Signaling and Gut Microbiota in the MK-801 Model of Schizophrenia.Schizophrenia bulletin · 2026Article
- Quantitative profiling of whole-brain connectomes at single-axon resolution using deep learning and high-resolution light sheet microscopy.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Sex differences in noradrenergic regulation of the medial prefrontal cortex in mice.Biology of sex differences · 2025Article
- Prelimbic cortex to ventral tegmental area projection regulates early social isolation stress-potentiated heroin seeking in mice.Nature communications · 2025Article
- NPS neurons receive extensive input from auditory brainstem nuclei.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Distinct neurogenic pathways shape the diversification and mosaic organization of cortical output channels.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- An oxytocin receptor gene polymorphism is associated with distinct neural responses to mating encounters in male prairie voles.Hormones and behavior · 2025Article
- Article
- Functional neuroanatomy of dopaminergic arousal systems: implications for the wake-promoting effect of psychostimulants, with particular reference to modafinil.Frontiers in neuroanatomy · 2025Review
- Unresponsiveness induced by sevoflurane and propofol is associated with reduced basal forebrain cholinergic nuclei functional connectivity in humans,Neuroimage. Reports · 2024Article
- Dissociable Roles of the mPFC-to-VTA Pathway in the Control of Impulsive Action and Risk-Related Decision-Making in Roman High- and Low-Avoidance Rats.The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology · 2024Article
- Alpha-Synuclein Pre-Formed Fibrils Injected into Prefrontal Cortex Primarily Spread to Cortical and Subcortical Structures.Journal of Parkinson's disease · 2024Article
- Focused Ultrasound Stimulates the Prefrontal Cortex and Prevents MK-801-Induced Psychiatric Symptoms of Schizophrenia in Rats.Schizophrenia bulletin · 2024Article
- Alpha-synuclein pre-formed fibrils injected into prefrontal cortex primarily spread to cortical and subcortical structures and lead to isolated behavioral symptoms.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2023Article
- Hub structure in functional network of EEG signals supporting high cognitive functions in older individuals.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Anatomical and functional evidence suggests that the PFC is fairly unique among all cortical regions, as it not only receives input from, but also robustly projects back to mesopontine monoaminergic and cholinergic cell groups. Thus, the PFC is in position to exert a powerful top-down control over several state-setting modulatory transmitter systems that are critically involved in the domains of arousal, motivation, reward/aversion, working memory, mood regulation, and stress processing. Regarding this scenario, the origin of cortical afferents to the ventral tegmental area (VTA), laterodorsal tegmental nucleus (LDTg), and median raphe nucleus (MnR) was here compared in rats, using the retrograde tracer cholera toxin subunit b (CTb). CTb injections into VTA, LDTg, or MnR produced retrograde labeling in the cortical mantle, which was mostly confined to frontal polar, medial, orbital, and lateral PFC subdivisions, along with anterior- and mid-cingulate areas. Remarkably, in all of the three groups, retrograde labeling was densest in layer V pyramidal neurons of the infralimbic, prelimbic, medial/ventral orbital and frontal polar cortex. Moreover, a lambda-shaped region around the apex of the rostral pole of the nucleus accumbens stood out as heavily labeled, mainly after injections into the lateral VTA and LDTg. In general, retrograde PFC labeling was strongest following injections into MnR and weakest following injections into VTA. Altogether, our findings reveal a fairly similar set of prefrontal afferents to VTA, LDTg, and MnR, further supporting an eminent functional role of the PFC as a controller of major state-setting mesopontine modulatory transmitter systems.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.