Mount Sinai researchers have discovered distinct roles for two dopamine receptors located on nerve cells within the portion of the brain that controls approach vs. avoidance behavior. These receptors potentially influence anxiety and mood disorders whose origins are still unclear.
The team characterized the function of D1 and D2 dopamine receptors in the ventral hippocampus of mice, a region involved in the regulation of emotions and stress responses. Their work expands the field’s knowledge of dopamine signaling beyond its well-known actions in other brain regions that influence reward and motivation, and sets the stage for future research into dopamine dysregulation in a range of anxiety and depressive disorders. The results of the study appeared in the May 7 issue of Nature.