Dopamine-Evoked Synaptic Regulation in the Nucleus Accumbens Requires Astrocyte Activity.

ABSTRACT: Dopamine is involved in physiological processes like learning and memory, motor control and reward, and pathological conditions such as Parkinson's disease and addiction. In contrast to the extensive studies on neurons, astrocyte involvement in dopaminergic signaling remains largely unknown. Using transgenic mice, optogenetics, and pharmacogenetics, we studied the role of astrocytes on the dopaminergic system. We show that in freely behaving mice, astrocytes in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a key reward center in the brain, respond with Ca²⁺ elevations to synaptically released dopamine, a phenomenon enhanced by amphetamine. In brain slices, synaptically released dopamine increases astrocyte Ca²⁺, stimulates ATP/adenosine release, and depresses excitatory synaptic trans

SUBMITTER: Corkrum M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7322729 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature