Old neurochemical markers, new functional directions?

This Editorial highlights a study of H örtnagl et al. that describes the post‐mortem distribution of neurochemical markers for dopamine and other neurotransmitters in precisely‐dissected sub‐regions of human caudate nucleus and putamen, presenting a new quantitative description of marker heterogeneity across striatal sub‐territ ories and providing evidence for a regional organization of dopaminergic metabolism. Correlation analyses of transmitter measurements between the tissue markers within sub‐regions indicates the potential for biochemical activity of dopaminergic neurons (blue) at terminals to be indirectly influenc ed by distal dopaminergic projections (red arrows). This highlight addresses the possibility to use these “old neurochemical markers” to investigate functional relationships between striatal territories and beyond via multiple correlative analyses. AbstractThe dorsal striatum coordinates input ‐output processing of numerous functions including those related to motor activity, motivation, and learning. Considerable anatomical and biochemical heterogeneity across striatal subregions has long been known to result in distinct functional outcomes, and for imbalances in these pathways to cont ribute to many complex disorders. Here we highlight the study of Hörtnagl et al. (2019) who utilize precision dissection of human caudate nucleus and putamen for detailed measurement of major neurochemical markers to address the question of anatomical hete...
Source: Journal of Neurochemistry - Category: Neuroscience Authors: Tags: EDITORIAL HIGHLIGHT Source Type: research