Inhibition of GABAergic neurotransmission in the ventral tegmental area by cannabinoids.

It was shown recently that Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol, like several other drugs eliciting euphoria, stimulates dopaminergic neurons projecting from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the nucleus accumbens. The aim of the present work was to clarify the mechanism of this stimulatory effect. Our hypothesis was that cannabinoids depress the GABAergic inhibition of dopaminergic neurons in the VTA.