Interrogation of the spatiotemporal integration of dopaminergic signaling in striatal medium spiny neurons

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20H03349
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 46020:Anatomy and histopathology of nervous system-related
• Research Institution: Niigata University
• Principal Investigator: Uchigashima Motokazu 新潟大学, 脳研究所, 准教授 (10614662)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: ドーパミン / 線条体 / グルタミン酸 / スパイン / ゲノム編集 / 分子標識

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Dopaminergic transmission is essential for our normal brain function, and its dysfunction causes many brain disorders such as Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia. However, our current knowledge is not sufficient about where dopamine is released from and what it targets to, and how it functions on its target cells. To address these questions, we newly developed a genome editing-based platform to visualize molecularly-defined dopamine release sites and simultaneously introduce Cre recombinase for neuronal labeling or manipulation in the same neurons in mammalian brains.

Free Research Field

神経科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究にて確立した新たな技術は、中脳ドーパミンニューロンへの応用を通じて、これまで不十分であった脳組織中におけるドーパミン伝達の多元的かつ高精度な理解が可能となる。この結果、正常な脳の機能する仕組みの理解が深まるだけでなく、多数の罹患者が存在する多様な脳機能疾患におけるドーパミン伝達異常の高精度な理解が可能となることで、そこから生み出される新たな治療アプローチの創出にも結びつくと期待できる。