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Insulin enhances striatal dopamine release by activating cholinergic interneurons and thereby signals reward

Author

Listed:
  • Melissa A. Stouffer

    (New York University School of Medicine
    New York University School of Medicine)

  • Catherine A. Woods

    (Center for Neural Science, New York University)

  • Jyoti C. Patel

    (New York University School of Medicine)

  • Christian R. Lee

    (New York University School of Medicine)

  • Paul Witkovsky

    (New York University School of Medicine)

  • Li Bao

    (New York University School of Medicine
    New York University School of Medicine)

  • Robert P. Machold

    (Smilow Neuroscience Program, New York University School of Medicine)

  • Kymry T. Jones

    (New York University School of Medicine)

  • Soledad Cabeza de Vaca

    (New York University School of Medicine)

  • Maarten E. A. Reith

    (New York University School of Medicine
    New York University School of Medicine)

  • Kenneth D. Carr

    (New York University School of Medicine
    New York University School of Medicine)

  • Margaret E. Rice

    (New York University School of Medicine
    New York University School of Medicine)

Abstract

Insulin activates insulin receptors (InsRs) in the hypothalamus to signal satiety after a meal. However, the rising incidence of obesity, which results in chronically elevated insulin levels, implies that insulin may also act in brain centres that regulate motivation and reward. We report here that insulin can amplify action potential-dependent dopamine (DA) release in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and caudate–putamen through an indirect mechanism that involves striatal cholinergic interneurons that express InsRs. Furthermore, two different chronic diet manipulations in rats, food restriction (FR) and an obesogenic (OB) diet, oppositely alter the sensitivity of striatal DA release to insulin, with enhanced responsiveness in FR, but loss of responsiveness in OB. Behavioural studies show that intact insulin levels in the NAc shell are necessary for acquisition of preference for the flavour of a paired glucose solution. Together, these data imply that striatal insulin signalling enhances DA release to influence food choices.

Suggested Citation

  • Melissa A. Stouffer & Catherine A. Woods & Jyoti C. Patel & Christian R. Lee & Paul Witkovsky & Li Bao & Robert P. Machold & Kymry T. Jones & Soledad Cabeza de Vaca & Maarten E. A. Reith & Kenneth D. , 2015. "Insulin enhances striatal dopamine release by activating cholinergic interneurons and thereby signals reward," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 6(1), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:6:y:2015:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms9543
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms9543
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    Cited by:

    1. Masroor Shariff & Paul Klenowski & Michael Morgan & Omkar Patkar & Erica Mu & Mark Bellingham & Arnauld Belmer & Selena E Bartlett, 2017. "Binge-like sucrose consumption reduces the dendritic length and complexity of principal neurons in the adolescent rat basolateral amygdala," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(8), pages 1-17, August.

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