glutamergic

Very specifically the liking is mediated by the shell of the nucleus accumbens and the ventral pallidum by glutamergic cells.

Uh, every enjoyable experience activates glutamergic activity the bilateral shell of the nucleus accumbens, even looking at a pretty sunset.

Those are implemented by glutamergic populations in the shell of the nucleus accumbens and ventral pallidum.

Very clearly not effecting glutamergic agonism (in the shell of the nucleus accumbens) directly.

Drug addiction is mediated either directly through effecting incentive salience via dopaminergic agonism, or, indirectly through glutamergic agonism as reward eventually training incentive salience.

I assume you're talking about glutamergic activity in populations in the shell of the nucleus accumbens.

It is merely reacting appropriately to actual reward as encoded by activation of the glutamergic populations of the shell of the nucleus accumbens (at least).

It's actually glutamergic cells in the shell of the nucleus accumbens that are necessary and sufficient (but not all encompassing) for pleasure expression in mammals.

The reward/pleasure is mediated almost entirely by glutamergic neurons in the NAc, and the dopaminergic projections there from the VTA encode for belief in possible future reward, not reward itself.

The dopaminergic populations of neurons, in the VTA or not, are not necessary for expressions of reward itself which is mostly in glutamergic cells in the shell of the nucleus accumbens(s).

I do agree that with drugs that just activate reward directly (like opioids with glutamergic populations in the shell of the nucleus accumbens) can rapidly become addictive.

If they'd done fMRI or PET or something and could shown long term abberant changes in the glutamergic signalling in the shell of the nucelus accumbens then maybe it'd be saying something.

And even if they did it's be "glutamergic experiment" not "dopamine".

> which is mostly in glutamergic cells in the shell of the nucleus accumbens(s) i'm not really convinced this is any better fit for "reward" than other explanations.

Glutamergic cells encode for reward/pleasure.