Huang Zhili's group found that dopamine D1 receptor-positive neurons in the dorsal striatum regulate wakefulness

_{Recently, the research group of} Huang Zhili from Fudan Medical University found that dopamine D1 receptor ( D1R ₎ positive neurons in the dorsal striatum are involved in the initiation and maintenance _of arousal .

The research team used optogenetics, chemical genetics, fiber-optic calcium signals to measure neuronal activity, and EEG / EMG recordings to study the role and neural circuits of dorsal striatal D1R _neurons in regulating sleep arousal

Results of neuronal calcium activity showed that striatal D1R neurons were highly active during wakefulness and _quiet during NREM sleep .

Figure: The mechanism by which striatal dopamine D1 receptor _- positive neurons regulate wakefulness

Striatal D1R neurons _integrate upstream prefrontal cortex ( PFC ), dorsomedial thalamus ( MD ), and substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc ) signals to inhibit downstream nuclei of the globus pallidus (EP) by releasing GABA and the substantia nigra reticularis (SNr) , which regulate arousal in mice .

Huang Zhili's research group focused on the role and mechanism of BG in regulating sleep arousal

This study reveals the dorsal striatum D ₁ R neurons and neural circuit mechanisms of regulation of arousal, awakening control system adds a new nucleus, was related diseases associated with sleep disorders provide potential therapeutic strategies

Article information and links:

Hui Dong, Ze-Ka Chen, Han Guo, Xiang-Shan Yuan, Cheng-Wei Liu, Wei-Min Qu*, and Zhi-Li Huang*.