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Review
. 2020 May 1:167:108005.
doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108005. Epub 2020 Feb 11.

Neurotensin in reward processes

María Luisa Torruella-Suárez  1 , Zoe A McElligott  2
Affiliations
Review

Neurotensin in reward processes

María Luisa Torruella-Suárez et al. Neuropharmacology. .

Abstract

Neurotensin (NTS) is a neuropeptide neurotransmitter expressed in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Many studies over the years have revealed a number of roles for this neuropeptide in body temperature regulation, feeding, analgesia, ethanol sensitivity, psychosis, substance use, and pain. This review provides a general survey of the role of neurotensin with a focus on modalities that we believe to be particularly relevant to the study of reward. We focus on NTS signaling in the ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens, lateral hypothalamus, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and central amygdala. Studies on the role of NTS outside of the ventral tegmental area are still in their relative infancy, yet they reveal a complex role for neurotensinergic signaling in reward-related behaviors that merits further study. This article is part of the special issue on 'Neuropeptides'.

Keywords: Alcohol; Dopamine; Feeding; NTSR1; NTSR2; Neurotensin; Reward; Substance use disorder.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Circuit diagram outlining regions where NTS and NTSR1 are expressed, physiological ramifications of NTS signaling, and behaviors mediated by these circuits. Lateral hypothalamus (LH), medial preoptic area (mPOA), central nucleus of the amgydala (CeA), ventral tegmental area (VTA), bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), parabrachial nucleus (PBN), nucleus accumbens (NA). Light blue = NTS neurons and projections, dark blue = NTSR1 expressing neurons, green = dopamine neurons and projections.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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