New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Science News
from research organizations

A wave theory for a neurochemical balance in the brain

Date:
October 30, 2023
Source:
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Summary:
Scientists describe a new kind of neurochemical wave in the brain. Their research unveils the existence of traveling waves of the neurochemical acetylcholine in the striatum, a region of the brain responsible for motivating actions and habitual behaviors.
Share:
FULL STORY

In a new study, a group of researchers, led by Dr. Joshua Goldberg from the Hebrew University, describe a new kind of neurochemical wave in the brain. Their research, published in Nature Communications, unveils the existence of traveling waves of the neurochemical acetylcholine in the striatum, a region of the brain responsible for motivating actions and habitual behaviors.

The motivation to execute an action is widely thought to depend on the release of the another neurochemical, dopamine, in the striatum. Recent research has shown that dopamine is released in wave-like patterns within the striatum. The team led by Goldberg discovered that acetylcholine is also released in the striatum in wave-like patterns. It has long been thought that in order for the striatum to function properly a balance needs to be maintained between dopamine and acetylcholine release in the striatum, and that the disruption of this balance leads to movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease. The new study proposes a mathematical mechanism by which simultaneous waves of acetylcholine and dopamine arise, which may represent how this balance is realized.

The research was conducted using state-of-the-art genetic tools and advanced imaging techniques, allowing the team to visualize the acetylcholine waves in awake, behaving animals. Additionally, imaging techniques were employed to observe the interaction between acetylcholine and dopamine in vitro. Through a rigorous mathematical analysis, using reaction-diffusion activator-inhibitor models and computer simulations, the team proposed a model that explains the formation of both acetylcholine (the activator) and dopamine (the inhibitor) traveling waves.

Key Highlights of the Study:

First description of acetylcholine waves: in the striatum of healthy behaving animals.

Local Dopamine Release is Triggered by individual non-dopamine neurons: The study demonstrated that electrical activation of a single acetylcholine-releasing neuron in the striatum is sufficient to induce local dopamine release in its proximity.

A novel model for how the two neurochemical waves arise simultaneously: The study proposes a novel mathematical model based on the known interaction between acetylcholine and dopamine in the striatum, that can give rise to the simultaneous generation of these waves.

Finally, the study provides strong testable predictions about the relationship between these two wave phenomena and the neural mechanism for their formation. The study also proposes that dopamine and acetylcholine axons (which are the very long appendages of the dopamine and acetylcholine neurons) interact directly and locally in the striatum, which is not how neurons are traditionally thought to interact.


Story Source:

Materials provided by The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Lior Matityahu, Naomi Gilin, Gideon A. Sarpong, Yara Atamna, Lior Tiroshi, Nicolas X. Tritsch, Jeffery R. Wickens, Joshua A. Goldberg. Acetylcholine waves and dopamine release in the striatum. Nature Communications, 2023; 14 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42311-5

Cite This Page:

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. "A wave theory for a neurochemical balance in the brain." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 30 October 2023. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231030110741.htm>.
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. (2023, October 30). A wave theory for a neurochemical balance in the brain. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 31, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231030110741.htm
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. "A wave theory for a neurochemical balance in the brain." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231030110741.htm (accessed October 31, 2024).

Explore More

from ScienceDaily

RELATED STORIES