Dopamine system function and dysfunction in neurodegenerative disorders.
Dopamine system function and dysfunction in neurodegenerative disorders.
Our goal is to understand the neuronal mechanisms of reward and motor signaling in the basal ganglia. We focus on dopamine-releasing neurons in the midbrain that are essential to motivation, reward and motor planning behaviors. Their dysfunction is implicated in Parkinson's disease. Our experiments combine electrophysiology, imaging, optogenetics, and behavior. These techniques allow us to probe the intrinsic, synaptic, and modulatory elements that control dopaminergic neurons with subcellular precision. We examine these questions in genetically-engineered animals and models of Parkinson's Disease.
Our goal is to understand the neuronal mechanisms of reward and motor signaling in the basal ganglia. We focus on dopamine-releasing neurons in the midbrain that are essential to motivation, reward and motor planning behaviors. Their dysfunction is implicated in Parkinson's disease. Our experiments combine electrophysiology, imaging, optogenetics, and behavior. These techniques allow us to probe the intrinsic, synaptic, and modulatory elements that control dopaminergic neurons with subcellular precision. We examine these questions in genetically-engineered animals and models of Parkinson's Disease.