Dopamine is more than just a 'feel good' hormone. Scientists find dopamine neurons linked to movement

Amazing stuff!

"... In a new study, researchers ... have found that certain genetic subtypes of dopamine neurons are responsible for controlling movement in the body. This paradigm shift not only sheds new light on the dopamine system and its complex role in the brain but also uncovers fresh avenues for investigating and potentially treating Parkinson's disease. ...
These experiments showed that about 30% of all the dopamine neurons only glowed when the rodents were performing some kind of movement. ...

The researchers observed a striking alignment between dopamine neurons tied to the process of accelerating and the brain's midsection vulnerable to Parkinson's disease. Paradoxically, the surviving dopamine neurons correlated with the process of deceleration. ..."

From the abstract:

"Dopamine neurons are characterized by their response to unexpected rewards, but they also fire during movement and aversive stimuli. Dopamine neuron diversity has been observed based on molecular expression profiles; however, whether different functions map onto such genetic subtypes remains unclear. In this study, we established that three genetic dopamine subtypes within the substantia nigra pars compacta, characterized by the expression of Slc17a6 (Vglut2), Calb1 and Anxa1, each have a unique set of responses to rewards, aversive stimuli and accelerations and decelerations, and these signaling patterns are highly correlated between somas and axons within subtypes. Remarkably, reward responses were almost entirely absent in the Anxa1+ subtype, which instead displayed acceleration-correlated signaling. Our findings establish a connection between functional and genetic dopamine subtypes and demonstrate that molecular expression patterns can serve as a common framework to dissect dopaminergic functions."

Dopamine is more than just a 'feel good' hormone. Scientists find dopamine neurons linked to movement Dopamine, often associated with pleasure, reveals a surprising role in controlling movement.

Dopamine controls movement, not just rewards (primary news source) New study finds dopamine neurons are more diverse than previously thought

Unique functional responses differentially map onto genetic subtypes of dopamine neurons (open access)

Fig. 1: snRNA-seq reveals an Anxa1-expressing subtype within Aldh1a1+ dopamine neurons.