The role of calcium-induced genomic responses in co-active neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) in nicotine reinforcement and sensitized locomotor activity. (C03)

• Subject Area: Molecular Biology and Physiology of Neurons and Glial Cells
• Term: from 2015 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 243553651

The structural and functional alterations in discrete reward circuits in the brain, activated by repeated exposure to nicotine, reflect the formation, plasticity, and maintenance of ensembles involved in addictive behavior. We will use novel ensemble-tagging tools to identify the transmitter phenotype, connectivity and nicotine-induced structural and functional alterations of ensemble neurons in the midbrain, habenula, and cholinergic tegmentum. We will investigate their transcriptional responses to nicotine and assess the role of nuclear calcium and the nuclear calcium-regulated transcription factor, NPAS4, in ensemble formation and behavioral adaptations.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1134: Functional ensembles: cellular components, patterned activity and plasticity of co-active neurons in local networks
• Major Instrumentation: Andor Revolution Imaging System
• Instrumentation Group: 5090 Spezialmikroskope
• Applicant Institution: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
• Co-Applicant Institution: Zentralinstitut für Seelische Gesundheit (ZI)
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Hilmar Bading; Professor Dr. Rainer Spanagel