2016-08-3-noticia-CIMA-Neuronas-recompensa

An international study has identified some mechanisms involved in the interaction of the dopaminergic and cholinergic systems, both of which are related to the onset of various neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases. The research, carried out by groups from the United Kingdom (Oxford and Leicester Universities) and the United States (Rutgers, Princeton and Stanford Universities), and in which Dr. Miguel Valencia, from the research center Applied Medicine (CIMA) of the University of Navarra, participates, describes how the interaction between two brain neurotransmitters (acetylcholine and dopamine) influences behavior and behaviors associated with reward. The results have been published in the latest issue of the scientific journal Nature Neuroscience.

"In this study we characterize the properties of cholinergic neurons and describe how they affect the function of another subject of neurons, the dopaminergic neurons. The dopaminergic system is particularly involved in the brain's natural reward system and plays an essential role in cognition, motivation, the management of intense emotions or drug dependence," explains Dr. Valencia.

It had long been thought that the effect of the cholinergic system on dopaminergic neurons was homogeneous. However, this study demonstrates that its effect is functionally and anatomically differentiated and that it largely determines the functioning of the dopaminergic system, leading to different effects on behavior. "Both cholinergic and dopaminergic systems are affected in pathologies such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or drug addiction. Going deeper into the knowledge of these systems and their interaction with other neurotransmitters is core topic to understand the mechanisms that mediate the onset of these pathologies and will facilitate the development of new therapeutic approaches to combat them," says the researcher of CIMA.