Optogenetic Strategies to Dissect the Neural Circuits that Underlie Reward and Addiction
- 1Curriculum in Neurobiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
- 2Curriculum in Neurobiology, Departments of Psychiatry, Cell, and Molecular Physiology, and Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
- Correspondence:gstuber{at}med.unc.edu
Abstract
Optogenetic strategies for perturbation of neural circuit function have begun to revolutionize systems neuroscience. Whereas optogenetics has proven to be a powerful approach for studying neural systems, the tools to conduct these experiments are still continuously evolving. Here we briefly summarize available hardware and reagents that can be used for studying behaviors related to reward and addiction. In addition, we discuss recent studies in which these strategies have been applied to study neural circuit function in brain slices as well as awake and behaving animals. Collectively, this work serves as a brief introduction to optogenetic techniques and highlights how these tools can be applied to elucidate the neural circuits that underlie reward processing and addiction.
- Copyright © 2012 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; all rights reserved
