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Molecular Psychiatry Dec 2021Dopamine plays a crucial role in adaptive behavior, and dysfunctional dopamine is implicated in multiple psychiatric conditions characterized by inflexible or...
Dopamine plays a crucial role in adaptive behavior, and dysfunctional dopamine is implicated in multiple psychiatric conditions characterized by inflexible or inconsistent choices. However, the precise relationship between dopamine and flexible decision making remains unclear. One reason is that, while many studies have focused on the activity of dopamine neurons, efficient dopamine signaling also relies on clearance mechanisms, notably the dopamine transporter (DAT), which predominates in striatum, and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), which predominates in cortex. The exact locus, extent, and timescale of the effects of DAT and COMT are uncertain. Moreover, there is limited data on how acute disruption of either mechanism affects flexible decision making strategies mediated by cortico-striatal networks. To address these issues, we combined pharmacological modulation of DAT and COMT with electrochemistry and behavior in mice. DAT blockade, but not COMT inhibition, regulated sub-second dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens core, but surprisingly neither clearance mechanism affected evoked release in prelimbic cortex. This was not due to a lack of sensitivity, as both amphetamine and atomoxetine changed the kinetics of sub-second release. In a multi-step decision making task where mice had to respond to reversals in either reward probabilities or the choice sequence to reach the goal, DAT blockade selectively impaired, and COMT inhibition improved, performance after reward reversals, but neither manipulation affected the adaptation of choices after action-state transition reversals. Together, our data suggest that DAT and COMT shape specific aspects of behavioral flexibility by regulating different aspects of the kinetics of striatal and cortical dopamine, respectively.
Topics: Animals; Catechol O-Methyltransferase; Corpus Striatum; Dopamine; Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; Kinetics; Mice; Nucleus Accumbens
PubMed: 34193974
DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01194-y -
Neuropsychopharmacology : Official... Mar 2018Dopamine function and reward processing are highly interrelated and involve common brain regions afferent to the nucleus accumbens, within the mesolimbic pathway.... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Dopamine function and reward processing are highly interrelated and involve common brain regions afferent to the nucleus accumbens, within the mesolimbic pathway. Although dopamine function and reward system neural activity are impaired in most psychiatric disorders, it is unknown whether alterations in the dopamine system underlie variations in reward processing across a continuum encompassing health and these disorders. We explored the relationship between dopamine function and neural activity during reward anticipation in 27 participants including healthy volunteers and psychiatric patients with schizophrenia, depression, or cocaine addiction, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) multimodal imaging with a voxel-based statistical approach. Dopamine transporter (DAT) availability was assessed with PET and [C]PE2I as a marker of presynaptic dopamine function, and reward-related neural response was assessed using fMRI with a modified Monetary Incentive Delay task. Across all the participants, DAT availability in the midbrain correlated positively with the neural response to anticipation of reward in the nucleus accumbens. Moreover, this relationship was conserved in each clinical subgroup, despite the heterogeneity of mental illnesses examined. For the first time, a direct link between DAT availability and reward anticipation was detected within the mesolimbic pathway in healthy and psychiatric participants, and suggests that dopaminergic dysfunction is a common mechanism underlying the alterations of reward processing observed in patients across diagnostic categories. The findings support the use of a dimensional approach in psychiatry, as promoted by the Research Domain Criteria project to identify neurobiological signatures of core dysfunctions underling mental illnesses.
Topics: Adult; Anticipation, Psychological; Brain; Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; Female; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Multimodal Imaging; Nerve Net; Photic Stimulation; Positron-Emission Tomography; Psychomotor Performance; Reward
PubMed: 28829051
DOI: 10.1038/npp.2017.183 -
The European Journal of Neuroscience Jan 2017The objective of this review is to evaluate the evidence that recreational methamphetamine exposure might damage dopamine neurones in human brain, as predicted by... (Review)
Review
The objective of this review is to evaluate the evidence that recreational methamphetamine exposure might damage dopamine neurones in human brain, as predicted by experimental animal findings. Brain dopamine marker data in methamphetamine users can now be compared with those in Parkinson's disease, for which the Oleh Hornykiewicz discovery in Vienna of a brain dopamine deficiency is established. Whereas all examined striatal (caudate and putamen) dopamine neuronal markers are decreased in Parkinson's disease, levels of only some (dopamine, dopamine transporter) but not others (dopamine metabolites, synthetic enzymes, vesicular monoamine transporter 2) are below normal in methamphetamine users. This suggests that loss of dopamine neurones might not be characteristic of methamphetamine exposure in at least some human drug users. In methamphetamine users, dopamine loss was more marked in caudate than in putamen, whereas in Parkinson's disease, the putamen is distinctly more affected. Substantia nigra loss of dopamine-containing cell bodies is characteristic of Parkinson's disease, but similar neuropathological studies have yet to be conducted in methamphetamine users. Similarly, it is uncertain whether brain gliosis, a common feature of brain damage, occurs after methamphetamine exposure in humans. Preliminary epidemiological findings suggest that methamphetamine use might increase risk of subsequent development of Parkinson's disease. We conclude that the available literature is insufficient to indicate that recreational methamphetamine exposure likely causes loss of dopamine neurones in humans but does suggest presence of a striatal dopamine deficiency that, in principle, could be corrected by dopamine substitution medication if safety and subject selection considerations can be resolved.
Topics: Animals; Central Nervous System Stimulants; Dopamine; Dopamine Agents; Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; Humans; Methamphetamine; Parkinson Disease
PubMed: 27519465
DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13363 -
Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology Jun 2020Racial and ethnic disparities in the prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases exist. This study examined the agreement between gold standard diagnosis and visual... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
Racial and ethnic disparities in the prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases exist. This study examined the agreement between gold standard diagnosis and visual assessment of dopamine transporter (DaT) imaging in Hispanic and non-Hispanic patients being evaluated for Parkinsonian syndromes (PS). A retrospective review of DaT imaging and demographic data was performed with institutional review board approval. Documented interpretation by visual assessment was used to classify scans as normal or abnormal. The gold standard for the final diagnosis of PS was determined by a neurologist after 2 or more years of clinical follow-up. Data were analyzed with a -test for uncorrelated samples. In 30 Hispanic patients, DaT imaging was abnormal in 17, normal in 12, and nondiagnostic in 1. Of those with abnormal imaging, PS was confirmed in 16 of 17. Of those with normal imaging, no PS was confirmed in any patient. Sensitivity was 100%, and specificity was 92%. The single patient with nondiagnostic imaging was excluded. Of 77 non-Hispanic patients, visual assessment of DaT imaging was abnormal in 51. Of those with abnormal imaging, PS was confirmed in 48 of 51. Of those with normal imaging, no PS was confirmed in 22 of 26. Sensitivity was 92%, and specificity was 88%. There was no statistically significant difference ( = 0.34) in the rates of agreement between the gold standard and DaT imaging in Hispanic versus non-Hispanic patients. The study sample size afforded a power of 0.60. No significant difference was found in the accuracy of DaT imaging between Hispanic and non-Hispanic patients. Accuracy was high for both groups.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Diagnostic Imaging; Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; Female; Hispanic or Latino; Humans; Iodine Radioisotopes; Male; Middle Aged; Parkinsonian Disorders; Retrospective Studies
PubMed: 31604897
DOI: 10.2967/jnmt.119.231423 -
Molecular Psychiatry May 2017Bipolar affective disorder is a common neuropsychiatric disorder. Although its neurobiological underpinnings are incompletely understood, the dopamine hypothesis has... (Review)
Review
Bipolar affective disorder is a common neuropsychiatric disorder. Although its neurobiological underpinnings are incompletely understood, the dopamine hypothesis has been a key theory of the pathophysiology of both manic and depressive phases of the illness for over four decades. The increased use of antidopaminergics in the treatment of this disorder and new in vivo neuroimaging and post-mortem studies makes it timely to review this theory. To do this, we conducted a systematic search for post-mortem, pharmacological, functional magnetic resonance and molecular imaging studies of dopamine function in bipolar disorder. Converging findings from pharmacological and imaging studies support the hypothesis that a state of hyperdopaminergia, specifically elevations in D2/3 receptor availability and a hyperactive reward processing network, underlies mania. In bipolar depression imaging studies show increased dopamine transporter levels, but changes in other aspects of dopaminergic function are inconsistent. Puzzlingly, pharmacological evidence shows that both dopamine agonists and antidopaminergics can improve bipolar depressive symptoms and perhaps actions at other receptors may reconcile these findings. Tentatively, this evidence suggests a model where an elevation in striatal D2/3 receptor availability would lead to increased dopaminergic neurotransmission and mania, whilst increased striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) levels would lead to reduced dopaminergic function and depression. Thus, it can be speculated that a failure of dopamine receptor and transporter homoeostasis might underlie the pathophysiology of this disorder. The limitations of this model include its reliance on pharmacological evidence, as these studies could potentially affect other monoamines, and the scarcity of imaging evidence on dopaminergic function. This model, if confirmed, has implications for developing new treatment strategies such as reducing the dopamine synthesis and/or release in mania and DAT blockade in bipolar depression.
Topics: Animals; Bipolar Disorder; Dopamine; Dopamine Agonists; Dopamine Antagonists; Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; Humans; Receptors, Dopamine D2; Synaptic Transmission
PubMed: 28289283
DOI: 10.1038/mp.2017.16 -
Scientific Reports Feb 2024The progression of neuroinflammation after anti-parkinsonian therapy on the Parkinson's disease (PD) brain and in vivo evidence of the therapy purporting neuroprotection... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
The progression of neuroinflammation after anti-parkinsonian therapy on the Parkinson's disease (PD) brain and in vivo evidence of the therapy purporting neuroprotection remain unclear. To elucidate this, we examined changes in microglial activation, nigrostriatal degeneration, and clinical symptoms longitudinally after dopamine replacement therapy in early, optimally-controlled PD patients with and without zonisamide treatment using positron emission tomography (PET). We enrolled sixteen PD patients (Hoehn and Yahr stage 1-2), and age-matched normal subjects. PD patients were randomly divided into two groups: one (zonisamide) that did and one (zonisamide) that did not undergo zonisamide therapy. Annual changes in neuroinflammation ([C]DPA713 PET), dopamine transporter availability ([C]CFT PET) and clinical severity were examined. Voxelwise differentiations in the binding of [C]DPA713 (BP) and [C]CFT (SUVR) were compared with normal data and between the zonisamide and zonisamide PD groups. The cerebral [C]DPA713 BP increased with time predominantly over the parieto-occipital region in PD patients. Comparison of the zonisamide group with the zonisamide group showed lower levels in the cerebral [C]DPA713 BP in the zonisamide group. While the striatal [C]CFT SUVR decreased longitudinally, the [C]CFT SUVR in the nucleus accumbens showed a higher binding in the zonisamide group. A significant annual increase in attention score were found in the zonisamide group. The current results indicate neuroinflammation proceeds to the whole brain even after anti-parkinsonian therapy, but zonisamide coadministration might have the potential to ameliorate proinflammatory responses, exerting a neuroprotective effect in more damaged nigrostriatal regions with enhanced attention in PD.
Topics: Humans; Parkinson Disease; Zonisamide; Neuroinflammatory Diseases; Positron-Emission Tomography; Brain; Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins
PubMed: 38409373
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55233-z -
The Journal of Neuroscience : the... Feb 2018Dopamine (DA) controls many vital physiological functions and is critically involved in several neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and attention deficit...
Dopamine (DA) controls many vital physiological functions and is critically involved in several neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The major function of the plasma membrane dopamine transporter (DAT) is the rapid uptake of released DA into presynaptic nerve terminals leading to control of both the extracellular levels of DA and the intracellular stores of DA. Here, we present a newly developed strain of rats in which the gene encoding DAT knockout Rats (DAT-KO) has been disrupted by using zinc finger nuclease technology. Male and female DAT-KO rats develop normally but weigh less than heterozygote and wild-type rats and demonstrate pronounced spontaneous locomotor hyperactivity. While striatal extracellular DA lifetime and concentrations are significantly increased, the total tissue content of DA is markedly decreased demonstrating the key role of DAT in the control of DA neurotransmission. Hyperactivity of DAT-KO rats can be counteracted by amphetamine, methylphenidate, the partial Trace Amine-Associated Receptor 1 (TAAR1) agonist RO5203648 ((S)-4-(3,4-Dichloro-phenyl)-4,5-dihydro-oxazol-2-ylamine) and haloperidol. DAT-KO rats also demonstrate a deficit in working memory and sensorimotor gating tests, less propensity to develop obsessive behaviors and show strong dysregulation in frontostriatal BDNF function. DAT-KO rats could provide a novel translational model for human diseases involving aberrant DA function and/or mutations affecting DAT or related regulatory mechanisms. Here, we present a newly developed strain of rats in which the gene encoding the dopamine transporter (DAT) has been disrupted (Dopamine Transporter Knockout rats [DAT-KO rats]). DAT-KO rats display functional hyperdopaminergia accompanied by pronounced spontaneous locomotor hyperactivity. Hyperactivity of DAT-KO rats can be counteracted by amphetamine, methylphenidate, and a few other compounds exerting inhibitory action on dopamine-dependent hyperactivity. DAT-KO rats also demonstrate cognitive deficits in working memory and sensorimotor gating tests, less propensity to develop compulsive behaviors, and strong dysregulation in frontostriatal BDNF function. These observations highlight the key role of DAT in the control of brain dopaminergic transmission. DAT-KO rats could provide a novel translational model for human diseases involving aberrant dopamine functions.
Topics: Animals; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; Cognitive Dysfunction; Disease Models, Animal; Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; Female; Gene Knockout Techniques; Hyperkinesis; Male; Rats; Rats, Wistar
PubMed: 29348190
DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1931-17.2018 -
ACS Chemical Neuroscience Jun 2019The dopamine transporter (DAT) is a plasma membrane protein that mediates the reuptake of extracellular dopamine (DA) and controls the spatiotemporal dynamics of...
The dopamine transporter (DAT) is a plasma membrane protein that mediates the reuptake of extracellular dopamine (DA) and controls the spatiotemporal dynamics of dopaminergic neurotransmission. The transporter is subject to fine control that tailors clearance of transmitter to physiological demands, and dysregulation of reuptake induced by psychostimulant drugs, transporter polymorphisms, and signaling defects may impact transmitter tone in disease states. We previously demonstrated that DAT undergoes complex regulation by palmitoylation, with acute inhibition of the modification leading to rapid reduction of transport activity and sustained inhibition of the modification leading to transporter degradation and reduced expression. Here, to examine mechanisms and outcomes related to increased modification, we coexpressed DAT with palmitoyl acyltransferases (PATs), also known as DHHC enzymes, which catalyze palmitate addition to proteins. Of 12 PATs tested, DAT palmitoylation was stimulated by DHHC2, DHHC3, DHHC8, DHHC15, and DHHC17, with others having no effect. Increased modification was localized to previously identified palmitoylation site Cys580 and resulted in upregulation of transport kinetics and elevated transporter expression mediated by reduced degradation. These findings confirm palmitoylation as a regulator of multiple DAT properties crucial for appropriate DA homeostasis and identify several potential PAT pathways linked to these effects. Defects in palmitoylation processes thus represent possible mechanisms of transport imbalances in DA disorders.
Topics: Acyltransferases; Animals; Dopamine; Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; Lipoylation; Protein Stability; Rats; Synaptic Transmission
PubMed: 30965003
DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00558 -
Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and... Jul 2023The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate relationships between relative cerebral blood flow and striatal dopamine transporter and dopamine D2/3...
Striatal dopamine transporter and receptor availability correlate with relative cerebral blood flow measured with [C]PE2I, [F]FE-PE2I and [C]raclopride PET in healthy individuals.
The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate relationships between relative cerebral blood flow and striatal dopamine transporter and dopamine D2/3 availability in healthy subjects. The data comprised dynamic PET scans with two dopamine transporter tracers [C]PE2I (n = 20) and [F]FE-PE2I (n = 20) and the D2/3 tracer [C]raclopride (n = 18). Subjects with a [C]PE2I scan also underwent a dynamic scan with the serotonin transporter tracer [C]DASB. Binding potential (BP) and relative tracer delivery (R) values were calculated on regional and voxel-level. Striatal R and BP values were correlated, using either an MRI-based volume of interest (VOI) or an isocontour VOI based on the parametric BP image. An inter-tracer comparison between [C]PE2I BP and [C]DASB R was done on a VOI-level and simulations were performed to investigate whether the constraints of the modeling could cause correlation of the parameters. A positive association was found between BP and R for all three dopamine tracers. A similar correlation was found for the inter-tracer correlation between [C]PE2I BP and [C]DASB R. Simulations showed that this relationship was not caused by cross-correlation between parameters in the kinetic model. In conclusion, these results suggest an association between resting-state striatal dopamine function and relative blood flow in healthy subjects.
Topics: Humans; Raclopride; Dopamine; Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; Retrospective Studies; Positron-Emission Tomography; Cerebrovascular Circulation
PubMed: 36912083
DOI: 10.1177/0271678X231160881 -
Neuropharmacology Dec 2019Recent work demonstrated the propensity of dopamine transporters (DATs) to form trimers or higher oligomers, enhanced upon binding a furopyrimidine, AIM-100. AIM-100...
Recent work demonstrated the propensity of dopamine transporters (DATs) to form trimers or higher oligomers, enhanced upon binding a furopyrimidine, AIM-100. AIM-100 binding promotes DAT endocytosis and thereby moderates dopaminergic transmission. Despite the neurobiological significance of these events, the molecular mechanisms that underlie the stabilization of DAT trimer and the key interactions that modulate the trimerization of DAT, and not serotonin transporter SERT, remain unclear. In the present study, we determined three structural models, termed trimer-W238, -C306 and -Y303, for possible trimerization of DATs . To this aim, we used structural data resolved for DAT and its structural homologs that share the LeuT fold, advanced computational modeling and simulations, site-directed mutagenesis experiments and live-cell imaging assays. The models are in accord with the versatility of LeuT fold to stabilize dimeric or higher order constructs. Selected residues show a high propensity to occupy interfacial regions. Among them, D231-W238 in the extracellular loop EL2, including the intersubunit salt-bridge forming pair D231/D232-R237 (not present in SERT) (in trimer-W238), the loop EL3 (trimers-C306 and -Y303), and W497 on the intracellularly exposed IL5 loop (trimer-C306) and its spatial neighbors (e.g. K525) near the C-terminus are computationally predicted and experimentally confirmed to play important roles in enabling the correct folding and/or oligomerization of DATs in the presence of AIM-100. The study suggests the possibility of controlling the effective transport of dopamine by altering the oligomerization state of DAT upon small molecule binding, as a possible intervention strategy to modulate dopaminergic signaling. This article is part of the issue entitled 'Special Issue on Neurotransmitter Transporters'.
Topics: Binding Sites; Cells, Cultured; Computer Simulation; Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; Furans; Humans; Models, Molecular; Molecular Docking Simulation; Molecular Dynamics Simulation; Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; Protein Binding; Protein Folding; Pyrimidines; Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins
PubMed: 31228486
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.107676