Numerous studies dissecting the basic mechanisms that control sleep regulation have led to considerable improvement in our knowledge of sleep disorders. It is now well accepted that transitions between sleep and wakefulness are regulated by complex neurobiologic mechanisms, which, ultimately, can be delineated as oscillations between two opponent processes, one promoting sleep and the other pro...

The exocytotic release of dopamine is one of the most characteristic but also one of the least appreciated processes in dopaminergic neurotransmission. Fluorescence imaging has yielded rich information about the properties of synaptic vesicles and the release of neurotransmitters in excitatory and inhibitory neurons. In contrast, imaging-based studies for in-depth understanding of synaptic vesi...

Cannabinoid administration modulates both dopaminergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission. The present study examines the effects of high and low dose WIN55,212-2, a CB1 receptor agonist, on extracellular dopamine and glutamate release in vivo via brain microdialysis in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), striatum and prefrontal cortex (PFC) in parallel to its effects on locomotor activity. WIN55,212...

We combined in vitro amperometric, optical analysis of fluorescent false neurotransmitters and microdialysis techniques to unveil that cocaine and methylphenidate induced a marked depression of the synaptic release of dopamine (DA) in mouse striatum. In contrast to the classical dopamine transporter (DAT)-dependent enhancement of the dopaminergic signal observed at concentrations of cocaine low...

Prefrontal cortical functioning depends on dopaminergic neurotransmission, which in turn depends on a complex signal transduction pathway including protein phosphatase-1 (PP1). Targeted localization of PP1 by the scaffolding proteins, spinophilin and neurabin, is critical for dopaminergic modulation of glutamate neurotransmission. In this study, we report the preparation of an antiserum to neur...

Neuroplasticity in the mesolimbic dopaminergic system is critical for behavioral adaptations associated with opioid reward and addiction. These processes may be influenced by cholinergic transmission arising from the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus (LDTg), a main source of acetylcholine to mesolimbic dopaminergic neurons. To examine this possibility we asked if chronic systemic morphine administ...

Escalated aggression can have devastating societal consequences, yet underlying neurobiological mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we show significantly increased inter-male mouse aggression when neurotransmission is constitutively blocked from either of two subsets of serotonergic, Pet1+ neurons: one identified by dopamine receptor D1(Drd1a)::cre-driven activity perinatally, and the other...

Psychotropic substance abuse and addiction are very prevalent among individuals with major psychiatric disorders world wide. However, this significant association is poorly explained. The dopaminergic circuits have been implemented in addiction as well as in schizophrenia. Recently the important role of glutamatergic neurotransmission has gained attention and current theoretical models of psych...

Apomorphine, a non-selective dopamine agonist, has been used as a pharmacological probe for investigating central dopaminergic neurotransmission in psychiatric illness. In this study repeated measurements of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) were made in normal volunteers before, and after, the administration of apomorphine (5 or 10 micrograms/kg), or placebo. The difference in rCBF, before a...

In addition to its involvement in motor control and in encoding reward value, increasing evidence also implicates basal ganglia dopaminergic mechanisms in responses to stress and aversive stimuli. Basal ganglia dopamine (DA) neurotransmission may then respond to environmental events depending on their saliency, orienting the subsequent responses of the organism to both positive and negative sti...