Dopamine Signaling Is Critical for Supporting Cue-Driven Behavioral Control

Abstract

Mesolimbic dopamine has been implicated in reward learning. Fischbach-Weiss and Janak (this issue) use optogenetics to attenuate dopamine signaling and study its role in cue-driven motivated behaviour.

Photoactivatable Dopamine and Sulpiride to Explore the Function of Dopaminergic Neurons and Circuits

“…8 Dopamine signaling also underlies the regulation of movement and plays an important role in reward driven learning. 9,10 A complete understanding of the mechanisms that underlie these processes has been the source of considerable effort. 11 To this point, there are few studies that have been able to determine how dopamine receptors signal with precise spatial and temporally relevant application of dopamine.…”

“…Abnormal dopaminergic function is implicated in diseases and disorders like Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, addiction, bipolar disorder, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) . Dopamine signaling also underlies the regulation of movement and plays an important role in reward driven learning. , A complete understanding of the mechanisms that underlie these processes has been the source of considerable effort . To this point, there are few studies that have been able to determine how dopamine receptors signal with precise spatial and temporally relevant application of dopamine. − Synaptic release from vesicular stores results in a high local concentration of dopamine in the extracellular space that is removed through the reuptake by the plasma membrane-associated dopamine transporter. − To understand dopamine-dependent signaling, it is necessary to apply exogenous dopamine with similar precision to mimic the natural release of the neurotransmitter.…”

Multi-Photon-Sensitive Chromophore for the Photorelease of Biologically Active Phenols

“…Dopamine is the primary agonist of the dopamine receptors, , which are divided into two subclasses, the D1- and D2-like receptors. Dopamine signaling plays an important role in the regulation of movement as well as reward-driven learning, , and abnormal dopaminergic function has been associated with diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) . During the last 20 years, a number of synthetic agonists of dopamine receptors have been developed and used as probes to investigate dopaminergic pathways or as drugs for neurological conditions.…”