Repeated chemogenetic activation of dopaminergic neurons induces reversible changes in baseline and amphetamine-induced behaviors.

Rationale: Repeated chemogenetic stimulation is often employed to study circuit function and behavior. Chronic or repeated agonist administration can result in homeostatic changes, but this has not been extensively studied with designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs).

Objectives: We sought to evaluate the impact of repeated DREADD activation of dopaminergic (DA) neurons on basal behavior, amphetamine response, and spike firing.