Table 2.

Projection areas of VTA neurons represented in NEX-Cre and Calb2-Cre mice compared with DAT-Cre and Vglut2-Cre mice

AreaCre-driver
DATVglut2Calb2NEX
Anterior olfactory area++++
Medial prefrontal cortex (infralimbic, prelimbic, and anterior cingulate cortices)++++
(Medial) orbital cortex++++
Nucleus accumbens shell++(+)+
Nucleus accumbens core+--+
Dorsomedial Striatum+---
Olfactory tubercle++++
Cingulate cortex++++
Septum/septal nuclei++-+
Diagonal band of Broca++++
Ventral pallidum++++
Bed nuclei of the stria terminalis++++
Preoptic area++++
Lateral habenula++--
Medial habenula--++
Hippocampus---+
Dentate gyrus---+
Amygdala++++
Hypothalamic area++-+
  • Summary of projection areas for VTA neurons virally injected with optogenetic constructs (DIO-ChR2-eYFP) in DAT-Cre, Vglut2-Cre, Calb2-Cre, and NEX-Cre mice, respectively, and detected as YFP-positive fibers. + indicates presence of YFP-positive fibers; - indicates absence of YFP-positive fibers; (+) indicates low presence of fibers.