Dopamine
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, one of those chemicals that is responsible for transmitting signals in between the nerve cells (neurons) of the brain. Very few neurons actually make dopamine. Some, in a part of the brain called the substantia nigra, are the cells that die during Parkinsons disease. The functions of others, located in a part of the brain called the ventral tegmental area (VTA), are less well defined and are the major source of the aforementioned controversy (and the focus of this post). When dopamine neurons become activated, they release dopamine.
Unique physical, chemical, and optical phenomena arise when materials are confined to the nanoscale. We are accustomed to making observations for the behavior of living systems on a macrosco...
MAR 11, 2020
3:00 PM PDT
MAR 11, 2020
3:00 PM PDT
Working memory (the ability to hold some information in mind for a few seconds, and to manipulate that information) and decision-making (committing to one out of multiple possible choices) a...
MAR 11, 2020
1:30 PM PDT
MAR 11, 2020
1:30 PM PDT
Learning is often an emotional process. Emotional stimuli with different valences, such as threat and reward, can transform an otherwise neutral sensory input into one that can trigger disti...
MAR 11, 2020
6:00 AM PDT
MAR 11, 2020
6:00 AM PDT
We present here a framework to generate a realistic multiscale circuit model of the larval zebrafish brain – the multiscale virtual fish (MVF). The model will be based on algorithms in...
The dopamine D4 receptor (D4R) is enriched in the prefrontal cortex where it plays important roles in cognition, attention, decision making and executive function. Novel D4R-selective ligand...
Striatal neuromodulation through G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) regulates complex voluntary motor actions, involving decision-making, learning, and action selection. The dorsal striatum...
FEB 27, 2019
8:00 AM PST
FEB 27, 2019
8:00 AM PST
DATE: February 27, 2019TIME: 8:00am PST Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) can form any tissue or cell in the body, and are the ideal starting material to manufacture...
DEC 06, 2018
9:00 AM PST
DEC 06, 2018
9:00 AM PST
DATE: December 6, 2018TIME: 9:00am PST, 12:00pm EST Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) intended for translational applications need to be of...
MAR 15, 2017
9:00 AM PDT
MAR 15, 2017
9:00 AM PDT
The idea of schizophrenia typically conjures up images of people who hear voices, see visions and have delusional beliefs. However, clinicians have long recognized cognitive dysfunction as on...
