Salient but aversive stimuli inhibit the majority of dopamine (DA) neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and cause conditioned place aversion (CPA). The cellular mechanism underlying DA neuron inhibition has not been investigated and the causal link to behavior remains elusive. Here, we show that GABA neurons of the VTA inhibit DA neurons through neurotransmission at GABAA receptors. We also observe that GABA neurons increase their firing in response to a footshock and provide evidence that driving GABA neurons with optogenetic effectors is sufficient to affect behavior. Taken together, our data demonstrate that synaptic inhibition of DA neurons drives place aversion.
Highlights
► In the VTA, optogenetic activation of GABA neurons in vivo inhibits DA neurons ► A footshock excites GABA neurons and inhibits of a large majority of DA neurons ► The inhibition of DA neurons by a footshock is GABAA receptor dependent ► Activation of GABA neurons is sufficient to elicit conditioned place aversion