My research in the Bonci lab generally all deals with studying inputs to the VTA. In the last year I have focused on the dorsal raphe nucleus as a VTA input, because this region is generally reported as providing the greatest density of inputs to the VTA compared with other afferent regions, and the function of these inputs remains largely uncharacterized. My first project, a collaboration with the lab of Dr. Marisela Morales, asked the question of whether serotonergic terminals projecting from the dorsal raphe nucleus to the VTA co-release glutamate along with serotonin. For this project I learned slice electrophysiology here at NIDA in the Bonci lab, and performed it in experimental mice. We used transgenic mice with cre recombinase expression restricted to serotonergic neurons to turn on expression of virally introduced Channelrhodopsin-2 protein in serotonergic cells. I did find that serotonergic terminals indeed co-release glutamate, and we are preparing the manuscript for submission to Neuron. A second project of mine involves studying non-serotonergic neurons of the dorsal raphe nucleus. It has been long-established that the dorsal raphe contains a greater number of non-serotonergic than serotonergic neurons. I have preliminary evidence that the non-serotonin neurons of the dorsal raphe project heavily to the VTA, release glutamate, and are highly rewarding in vivo. I am currently using a variety of techniques to characterize the role of these neurons in regulating the VTA and influencing behavior. I am working on this project in collaboration with the lab of Dr. Marisela Morales. In addition to the above research, I have contributed as a co-author to a protocol for """"""""Current Protocols in Neuroscience"""""""" on using optogenetics in mice. I also performed experiments and am co-author on a project published in the Bonci lab studying inputs to the nucleus accumbens;this paper has currently been provisionally accepted with revisions.
