Dopamine-Norepinephrine Interactions in the Prefrontal Cortex

The locus coeruleus (LC)-norepinephrine (NE) and the ventral tegmental area (VTA)-dopamine (DA) systems are two important brainstem neuromodulatory ascending pathways that are widely distributed in the cortex. Traditionally, the NE system has been implicated in arousal whereas DA signals reward and motivation. However, evidences also indicate that the NE system could play an important role in the control of complex behaviors. Despite that both NE and DA share similar neuromodulatory actions in the cortex, the relationship between these systems and how they interact has remained unclear. T he long term objective of this project is to elucidate physiological mechanisms by which NE and DA inputs interact and modulate cortical activity, particularly in the prefrontal cortex. This issue is particularly relevant to understand the neural bases of cognitive functions that take place during critical periods of normal postnatal development (i.e., adolescence/puberty) as well as in pathological conditions such as schizophrenia and related psychiatry disorders. These hypotheses will be evaluated using in vivo to in vitro electrophysiological techniques combined with different neurochemical and anatomical approaches.

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