dopamine receptors is known to be crucial for the reward mechanisms underlying cocaine abuse5455. Additionally, activity of the NAc medium-spiny neurons expressing these receptors is crucial for the formation of both locomotor sensitization and conditioned place preference5657. While the current study examined only transcriptional changes in these patterns, they suggest that both glutamatergic and dopaminergic transmission systems may be playing a role in the behavioral alterations seen in microbiome-depleted animals.
