FENS EJN award winner Antonello Bonci’s review paper now published

In 2016, the FENS-EJN Award is presented to Dr. Antonello Bonci for his important contributions to advancing our understanding of the synaptic mechanisms and neurocircuitry underlying reward- and drug abuse-related behaviours.

The review paper ‘VTA dopamine neuron plasticity – the unusual suspects’ has now been published in Early View in the European Journal of Neuroscience (EJN).

Dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) are involved in a variety of physiological and pathological conditions, ranging from motivated behaviours to substance use disorders. While many studies have shown that these neurons can express plasticity at excitatory and inhibitory synapses, little is known about how inhibitory inputs and glial activity shape the output of DA neurons and therefore, merit greater discussion. In this review, we will attempt to fill in a bit more of the puzzle, with a focus on inhibitory transmission and astrocyte function. We summarize the findings within the VTA as well as observations made in other brain regions that have important implications for plasticity in general and should be considered in the context of DA neuron plasticity.

To access the paper, please click here.