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Untangling dopamine and glutamate neuron function in the VTA

Award Number: R01MH137472
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/03/2024
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 02/28/2029

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Untangling dopamine and glutamate neuron function in the VTA - Project Summary / Abstract Ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons are essential for associative learning of reward and aversion- related cues, updating learned associations by prediction errors, as well as supporting a value of rewarding and aversive outcomes. While it is well established that VTA dopamine neurons show heterogenous signaling patterns related to these motivationally-relevant events, as well as express diverse molecular characteristics, our understanding of how dopaminergic molecular heterogeneity contributes to VTA dopamine neuron functions are unclear. A primary distinction between subtypes of VTA dopamine neurons is whether they release dopamine alone or co-release dopamine with glutamate. We propose to test the hypothesis that VTA dopamine neuron signaling patterns and roles in motivated behavior are genetically-determined by whether they co-release dopamine with glutamate or they release dopamine without glutamate. In AIM 1, we will determine the neuronal activity signaling patterns of VTA glutamate-dopamine co-releasing neurons, nonglutamate-dopamine neurons, or glutamate-only neurons that do not co-release GABA or dopamine, in a variety of reward and aversion-based motivated behavior tasks involving associative learning, outcome prediction and errors, and outcome values. In AIM 2, we will causally determine the roles of these same neurons in reward and aversion-based motivated behavior tasks involving associative learning, outcome prediction, reward, and aversion. Finally in AIM 3, we will causally determine the roles of dopamine and/or glutamate release from these distinct VTA neuronal phenotypes in reward and aversion-based tasks involving associative and nonassociative learning as well as other motivationally-relevant behaviors. Together these studies will comprehensively identify how the molecular heterogeneity of the midbrain dopamine system contributes to associative learning and motivated behaviors.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $632,655 )
2026	2026	THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO	3100 MARINE ST	BOULDER	CO	80309	BOULDER	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	3	3/5/2026	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$632,655
														Subtotal = $632,655

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $632,029 )
2025	2025	THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO	3100 MARINE ST	BOULDER	CO	80309	BOULDER	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	2	2/14/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$537,225
2025	2025	THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO	3100 MARINE ST	BOULDER	CO	80309	BOULDER	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	001	2	9/19/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$94,804
														Subtotal = $632,029

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $664,061 )
2024	2024	THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO	3100 MARINE ST	BOULDER	CO	80309	BOULDER	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	1	7/3/2024	NEW	$664,061
														Subtotal = $664,061

Grand Total All Awards = $1,928,745

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Untangling dopamine and glutamate neuron function in the VTA

Award Number: R01MH137472

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/03/2024

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 02/28/2029

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