Fig. 2
From: Cranial radiation disrupts dopaminergic signaling and connectivity in the mammalian brain
Cranial irradiation dynamically alters the slow oscillatory firing activity of dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). As a novel concept that complements the traditional firing mode of dopamine neurons, slow oscillations, represented by spectral power between 0.5 Hz and 1.5 Hz, were assessed in (A) sham (control)-treated rats or at (B) 1 day, (C) 3 days, (D) 7 days, and (E) 28 days after irradiation. Consistent with the finding on bursting and CV, the spectral power of slow oscillation powers initially increased before returning to control levels (F, Welch’s ANOVA, F(4.000,29.40) = 6.948, P < 0.01; sham control: 0.37 ± 0.01, n = 20 rats; day 1: 0.29 ± 0.03, n = 5 rats; day 3: 0.49 ± 0.03, n = 5 rats, P < 0.05 vs. sham control; day 7: 0.33 ± 0.02, n = 5 rats; day 28: 0.32 ± 0.01, n = 5 rats). *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01