Brain Cells Decide on Their Own When to Release Pleasure Hormone
Retrieved on:
Tuesday, April 6, 2021
Led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the new study showed that dopamine-releasing brain cells respond to their own signals to regulate the hormone's output.
Key Points:
- Led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the new study showed that dopamine-releasing brain cells respond to their own signals to regulate the hormone's output.
- Because the death of dopamine-releasing brain cells is a key factor in Parkinson's disease, the new findings provide insight into why these cells die in the movement disorder, the researchers say.
- They injected some of the brain cells with Botox, a toxin that blocks nerve cells from sending chemical messages to neurons and other cells.
- If the neurons were in fact controlled by neighboring dopamine cells, then dopamine release would remain unaffected because the treated cells would still receive dopamine signals from the untreated cells nearby.