ArticleNature communications2025
Distinct ventral tegmental area neuronal ensembles are indispensable for reward-driven approach and stress-driven avoidance behaviors.
Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- BNC2 as a putative transcriptional coordinator linking energy state to neural circuits.iScience · 2026Review
- Projection-defined ventral tegmental area neurons exhibit fentanyl-induced molecular and functional adaptations that differentially support drug-context associations.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Ventral tegmental area GABA neurons integrate positive and negative valence.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Ventral tegmental area GABA neurons integrate positive and negative valence.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Untangling the multifaceted VTA responses to stress.Trends in neurosciences · 2025Review
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
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Abstract
Assigning valence to stimuli for adaptive behavior is an essential function, involving the ventral tegmental area (VTA). VTA cell types are often defined through neurotransmitters (NT). However, valence function in VTA does not parse along NT-boundaries as, within each NT-class, certain neurons are excited by reward and others by stressors. Here we identify, in male mice, the co-activated VTA neuronal ensembles for reward and stress, and determine their role in adaptive behaviors. We show that stimuli of opposite valence (opioid vs acute social stress) recruit two distinct VTA neuronal ensembles. These two ensembles continue to be preferentially engaged by congruent valence stimuli. Stimulation of VTA stress- or reward ensembles is aversive/reinforcing, respectively. Strikingly, external valence stimuli fully require activity of these small discrete VTA ensembles for conferring approach/avoidance outcomes. Overall, our study identifies distinct VTA ensembles for positive and negative valence coding and shows their indispensability for adaptive behavior.
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