Article Figures & Data
Figures
- Figure 1.
Characterization of DREADD localization and functional impact. A Representative section from the striatum (top), ventral pallidum (middle), and septum (bottom), used for analysis in QUINT workflow. B, Output results of QUINT workflow (n = 8), showing all brain regions where mCherry (DREADD virus reporter) was detected in rats that received 600 nl (n = 4, circles) and 800 nl (n = 4, triangles) injections. LME showed a significant effect of brain region (F(3,28) = 113.34, p < 0.001), on viral particles, with follow-up comparisons indicating that significantly more expression was found in VP compared with other brain regions where expression was seen. C, Percent of DREADD-positive cells expressing c-Fos after 0, 0.05, or 0.5 mg/kg J60 in male (circles) and female (triangles) rats expressing Gq or Gi DREADD. *p < 0.05 (left). D, Representative VP images from a Gq male (left) and a Gi male (right) injected with 0.5 mg/kg J60. E, Representative traces from neurons expressing mCherry (left) or Gi DREADD (right) during the baseline period and 0–5 and 5–10 min after J60 application. F, Normalized firing rate (% of baseline) of neurons expressing mCherry (black; 9 cells/3 rats) and Gi DREADD (red; 15 cells/3 rats) at baseline and following J60 wash-on (0–10 min). Lines and shading indicate mean ± SEM.
- Figure 2.
Effects of chemogenetic activation of VP GABA neurons on sucrose consumption. A, A mixture of GAD1-cre and DIO-hM3Dq-mCherry or DIO-mCherry was injected bilaterally into the VP. B, Colormaps show hM3Dq viral placement (brightest point of expression) in a horizontal cross section of the VP and behavioral changes from baseline following a high dose (0.5 mg/kg) of J60, for all Gq (hM3Dq) rats (left), female Gq rats (middle), and male Gq rats (right). C, Sucrose consumption following injections of saline (light green), low-dose J60 (medium green), and high-dose J60 (dark green) for all Gq rats (left), Gq females (middle), and Gq males (right). D, Sucrose consumption following injections of saline (light green), low-dose J60 (medium green), and high-dose J60 (dark green) for all mCherry control rats (left), mCherry females (middle), and mCherry males (right). Bar plots and error bars indicate mean ± SEM. Dots and lines represent individual rats. Asterisks indicate p < 0.05 for Sidak-corrected pairwise comparisons.
- Figure 3.
Effects of chemogenetic activation of VP GABA neurons on sucrose preference. A, Sucrose preference following injections of saline (light green), low-dose J60 (medium green), and high-dose J60 (dark green) for all Gq rats (left), Gq females (middle), and Gq males (right). B, Sucrose preference following injections of saline (light green), low-dose J60 (medium green), and high-dose J60 (dark green) for all mCherry control rats (left), mCherry females (middle), and mCherry males (right). Bar plots and error bars indicate mean ± SEM. Dots and lines represent individual rats. Asterisks indicate p < 0.05 for Sidak-corrected pairwise comparisons.
- Figure 4.
Effects of chemogenetic activation of VP GABA neurons on chow consumption. A, Chow consumption following injections of saline (light green), low-dose J60 (medium green), and high-dose J60 (dark green) for all Gq rats (left), Gq females (middle), and Gq males (right). B, Chow consumption following injections of saline (light green), low-dose J60 (medium green), and high-dose J60 (dark green) for all mCherry control rats (left), mCherry females (middle), and mCherry males (right). Bar plots and error bars indicate mean ± SEM. Dots and lines represent individual rats. Asterisks indicate p < 0.05 for Sidak-corrected pairwise comparisons.
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