# Mechanisms of Synaptic Dopamine Signaling in the Control of Behavior

> **NIH NIH R01** · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · 2024 · $510,867

## Abstract

The neuromodulator dopamine is important for many brain functions: loss of dopamine neurons causes
movement disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease; dopamine signaling is targeted by drugs of abuse and
integral to the neurobiology of reward and addiction; and dopamine signaling is a therapeutic target for the
treatment of many neuropsychiatric disorders. Despite its importance in the brain, relatively little is known
about mechanisms that regulate synaptic dopamine release in vivo. And although the effects of dopamine on
individual cells have been extensively studied, how dopamine signals are processed to change the dynamics
of post synaptic neurons to execute changes of behavior is not well understood. The microscopic roundworm
C. elegans offers the opportunity to study these aspects of dopamine signaling using powerful tools of
molecular genetics and in vivo circuit analysis. Using behavioral genetics and newly developed methods for
analysis of neural circuits in behaving animals we will (1) determine mechanisms that regulate dopamine
release in response to appetitive stimuli and postsynaptic and (2) determine circuit mechanisms that transform
dopamine signaling events into lasting changes in behavior. Because of the ancient and conserved functions of
dopamine signaling in the animal nervous system, we propose that our studies will also advance
understanding of pre- and postsynaptic mechanisms in dopamine systems of the human brain and accelerate
discovery of new approaches to understanding and treating diseases linked to dysfunction of dopaminergic
systems.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10829398
- **Project number:** 5R01NS117908-05
- **Recipient organization:** NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Sharad Ramanathan
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $510,867
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-07-01 → 2026-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10829398

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10829398, Mechanisms of Synaptic Dopamine Signaling in the Control of Behavior (5R01NS117908-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10829398. Licensed CC0.

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