The #dopaminergic system promotes neprilysin-mediated degradation of #amyloid-β in the brain

Deposition of amyloid-β (Aβ) in the brain can impair neuronal function and contribute to cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Here, we found that dopamine and the dopamine precursor levodopa (also called l-DOPA) induced Aβ degradation in the brain. Chemogenetic approaches in mice revealed that the activation of dopamine release from ventral tegmental area (VTA) neurons… Continue reading The #dopaminergic system promotes neprilysin-mediated degradation of #amyloid-β in the brain

Reinforcement learning links spontaneous cortical #dopamine impulses to reward

Extrasynaptic levels of dopamine in mouse cortex exhibit spontaneous impulses•Impulses are broadly distributed in amplitude and time, with a rate of about 0.01/s•Feedback was used to train mice to volitionally control their spontaneous impulses•Mice learned to reliably modulate dopamine impulses in order to receive a reward SummaryIn their pioneering study on dopamine release, Romo and… Continue reading Reinforcement learning links spontaneous cortical #dopamine impulses to reward