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Potential programming of dopaminergic circuits by early life stress

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Abstract

Stress and high levels of glucocorticoids during pre- and early postnatal life seem to alter developmental programs that assure dopaminergic transmission in the mesolimbic, mesocortical, and nigrostriatal systems. The induced changes are likely to be determined by the ontogenetic state of development of these brain regions at the time of stress exposure and their stability is associated with increased lifetime susceptibility to psychiatric disorders, including drug addiction. This article is intended to serve as a starting point for future studies aimed at the attenuation or reversal of the effects of adverse early life events on dopamine-regulated behaviors.

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Abbreviations

DA:

Dopamine

DAergic:

Dopaminergic

TH:

Tyrosine hydroxylase

l-DOPA:

Levodopa

ELS:

Early life stress

ADHD:

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

HPA:

Hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis

GC:

Glucocorticoids

VTA:

Ventral tegmental area

NAcc:

Nucleus accumbens

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Institute for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, and CRESCENDO (EU Integrated Project FP6-018652) for funding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal

    Ana-João Rodrigues, Pedro Leão, Miguel Carvalho & Nuno Sousa

  2. Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstrasse 2-10, 80804, Munich, Germany

    Osborne F. X. Almeida

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  1. Ana-João Rodrigues
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Correspondence to Nuno Sousa.

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Rodrigues, AJ., Leão, P., Carvalho, M. et al. Potential programming of dopaminergic circuits by early life stress. Psychopharmacology 214, 107–120 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-010-2085-3

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