Title:A Review of the Physiological Role of Hypocretin in the Ventral
Tegmental Area in Reward and Drug Dependence
Volume: 30
Issue: 8
Author(s): Masoumeh Kourosh-Arami*, Alireza Komaki and Masoumeh Gholami
Affiliation:
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences,
Tehran, Iran
Keywords:
Orexin, SB-334867, addiction, VTA, orexin receptor 1, orexin receptor 2.
Abstract: Orexin (OX, hypocretin: HCRT) as a neuropeptide is produced in a distinct population
of neurons in the posterior lateral hypothalamus (LH). OX neurons implicate in reward function.
OX makes a main input from the hypothalamus to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the midbrain.
OX, through OX receptors (OXR1, OXR2) activates VTA dopamine (DA) neurons. VTA neurons
are involved in reward processing and motivation. In this review, we will discuss the OX effect
on addiction through VTA activation and related areas of the brain.