Postnatal maturation of glutamatergic transmission onto dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area in mice requires activation of metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (mGluR1), and cocaine impairs the function of this receptor. Reactivation of mGluR1 in vivo rescued synaptic maturation, suggesting that modulating this receptor could be a potential therapeutic option for improving synaptic function in children exposed to cocaine in utero.
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Swami, M. In utero exposure to cocaine delays postnatal synaptic maturation of glutamatergic transmission in the VTA. Nat Med 17, 1357 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.2569
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.2569
