The researchers at Oregon Health & Science University found that the neurotransmitter adenosine acts as a brake to dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in motor control.
The discovery was published today in the journal Nature.
The OHSU Vollum Institute's senior author said that there are two circuits in the brain, one that promotes action and the other that blocks action. "Dopamine promotes the first circuit to enable movement, and adenosine is the brake that promotes the second circuit and brings balance to the system."
The discovery could lead to new avenues of drug development to treat Parkinson's disease, a movement disorder where the loss of dopamine- producing cells has been implicated as a cause.
The striatum is a critical region of the brain that plays a role in reward, motivation and learning. Parkinson's disease is caused by the loss of dopamine- producing cells in the striatum.
The push-pull system has been suspected by people for a long time.
For the first time, researchers have shown that the neurotransmitter that acts with dopamine is adenosine. The novel genetically engineered probes were developed in the Mao lab. An example of that technology was highlighted in a study.
Thereceptor that caffeine acts on is known as adenosine.
Coffee acts in our brain in the same way. Coffee lifts the brakes.
Lei Ma is the first author of the book. The co-authors are Michael A. Muniak, Michael Day- Cooney, and Maozhen Qin.
The work was supported by awards from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the BRAIN Initiative.
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