Journal article

Publication year: 2009

Pages: 321-328

Journal: Trends in Neurosciences

Volume number: 32

Issue number: 6

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2009.02.005

URL: http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-66249147582&partnerID=MN8TOARS

Publisher: Cell Press

Abstract: 

Invasive recording of dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area (SN/VTA) of behaving animals suggests a role for these neurons in reward learning and novelty processing. In humans, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is currently the only non-invasive event-related method to measure SN/VTA activity, but it is debated to what extent fMRI enables inference about dopaminergic responses within the SN/VTA. We consider the anatomical and functional parcellation of the primate SN/VTA and find that its homogeneity suggests little variation in the regional specificity of fMRI signals for reward-related dopaminergic responses. Hence, these responses seem to be well captured by the compound fMRI signal from the SN/VTA, which seems quantitatively related to dopamine release in positron emission tomography (PET). We outline how systematic investigation of the functional parcellation of the SN/VTA in animals, new developments in fMRI analysis and combined PET-fMRI studies can narrow the gap between fMRI and dopaminergic neurotransmission.

Harvard Citation style: Düzel, E., Bunzeck, N., Guitart-Masip, M., Wittmann, B., Schott, B. and Tobler, P. (2009) Functional imaging of the human dopaminergic midbrain, Trends in Neurosciences, 32(6), pp. 321-328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2009.02.005

APA Citation style: Düzel, E., Bunzeck, N., Guitart-Masip, M., Wittmann, B., Schott, B., & Tobler, P. (2009). Functional imaging of the human dopaminergic midbrain. Trends in Neurosciences. 32(6), 321-328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2009.02.005