The Lateral Preoptic Area as an Unanticipated Source of Nociceptive Input to the Limbic System

Abstract:
The lateral preoptic area (LPO) has long been associated with homeostatic and motivational processes, but recent work from our lab reveals it as a critical source of nociceptive information to the limbic system. We find that LPO glutamatergic neurons convey both the experience and prediction of noxious stimuli to ventral tegmental area (VTA) neurons, driving aversion, while LPO GABAergic projections to the VTA promote reward. Anatomical and physiological studies demonstrate that these inputs engage a diverse population of VTA dopamine, GABA, and glutamate neurons, providing an unexpected interface between peripheral pain signals and motivational circuitry. Extending beyond the VTA, LPO excitatory projections to the lateral habenula (LHb) are recruited in models of chronic pain, where they contribute to stress-induced hyperalgesia and opioid vulnerability. Together, these findings identify the LPO as a previously underappreciated hub that relays pain-related information across multiple limbic structures, shaping affective and motivational responses to injury and stress. By defining the circuits through which the LPO communicates with the VTA and LHb, this work reframes our understanding of how nociception alters limbic function and suggests that the preoptic area may serve as a novel entry point for therapeutic strategies in chronic pain and substance use disorders.

About the Speaker:
David J. Barker, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience area at Rutgers University, where he is also a Core Member of the Brain Health Institute and the Rutgers Addiction Research Center. He received his Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience from Rutgers after undergraduate training at Arizona State University, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Dr. Barker’s research program investigates how stress, pain, and substance use reshape brain circuits that govern motivation and affect, with the goal of identifying mechanisms that drive vulnerability to opioid and stimulant misuse. His laboratory integrates cutting-edge approaches—including fiber photometry, optogenetics, chemogenetics, and molecular tools—to link neural plasticity in limbic pathways with behavior. This work has been continuously funded through NIH and foundation grants, including a K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award and multiple R01s.

In addition to his research, Dr. Barker is recognized for his commitment to teaching and mentorship, having developed courses in physiological psychology, grant writing, and neuroscience methods, and having trained a wide range of undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral scholars. He has published more than 50 scientific articles, reviews, and book chapters, and his contributions are widely cited in the fields of addiction neuroscience, pain, and stress research

Contact

  Kimberly Wiersielis
  kimberly.wiersielis@psu.edu