Establishing connectivity through microdissections of midbrain stimulation-related neural circuits

Brain. 2024 Sep 3;147(9):3083-3098. doi: 10.1093/brain/awae173.

Abstract

Comprehensive understanding of the neural circuits involving the ventral tegmental area is essential for elucidating the anatomofunctional mechanisms governing human behaviour, in addition to the therapeutic and adverse effects of deep brain stimulation for neuropsychiatric diseases. Although the ventral tegmental area has been targeted successfully with deep brain stimulation for different neuropsychiatric diseases, the axonal connectivity of the region is not fully understood. Here, using fibre microdissections in human cadaveric hemispheres, population-based high-definition fibre tractography and previously reported deep brain stimulation hotspots, we find that the ventral tegmental area participates in an intricate network involving the serotonergic pontine nuclei, basal ganglia, limbic system, basal forebrain and prefrontal cortex, which is implicated in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, major depressive disorder, Alzheimer's disease, cluster headaches and aggressive behaviours.

Keywords: deep brain stimulation; fibre tractography; neuropsychiatric neural circuits; ventral tegmental area.

MeSH terms

  • Basal Ganglia / physiology
  • Deep Brain Stimulation* / methods
  • Diffusion Tensor Imaging
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mesencephalon* / physiology
  • Nerve Net / diagnostic imaging
  • Nerve Net / physiology
  • Neural Pathways* / physiology
  • Prefrontal Cortex / physiology
  • Ventral Tegmental Area* / diagnostic imaging
  • Ventral Tegmental Area* / physiology