Douglass Lab

Research focus

NIH R01 · 2024

Functional architecture of dopamine signaling within a zebrafish sensorimotor network

PROJECT SUMMARY The neurotransmitter dopamine (DA) is well known as a regulator of vertebrate locomotor behaviors, but prior research has largely ignored the contributions of DA-producing neurons in the hypothalamus. Working in the larval zebrafish, we have discovered that a population of DA neurons in the hypothalamic preoptic nucleus, defined by their expression of the tyrosine hydroxylase gene, th2, are critically important for generating most forms of spontaneous and evoked swimming. Functional imaging reveals that these cells exhibit complex sensory and motor encodings, firing intense bursts of activity in acute correlation with movement, auditory cues, or both, and optogenetic…

From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.