Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) offer the potential to study otherwise inaccessible cell types. Critical to this is the directed differentiation of hiPSCs into functional cell lineages. This is of particular relevance to research into neurological disease, such as Parkinson's disease (PD), in which midbrain dopaminergic neurons degenerate during disease progression but are unobtai...

ATP-sensitive potassium (K-ATP) channels couple the metabolic state to cellular excitability in various tissues. Several isoforms of the K-ATP channel subunits, the sulfonylurea receptor (SUR) and inwardly rectifying K channel (Kir6.X), have been cloned, but the molecular composition and functional diversity of native neuronal K-ATP channels remain unresolved. We combined functional analysis of...

Dopaminergic neurons of the descending diencephalospinal system are located in the posterior tuberculum (PT) in zebrafish (Danio rerio), and correspond in mammals to the A11 group in hypothalamus and thalamus. In the larval zebrafish, they are likely the only source of central dopaminergic projections to the periphery. Here, we characterized posterior tubercular dopaminergic fibers projecting t...

Dopamine neurons are classically known to modulate locomotion indirectly through ascending projections to the basal ganglia that project down to brainstem locomotor networks. Their loss in Parkinson's disease is devastating. In lampreys, we recently showed that brainstem networks also receive direct descending dopaminergic inputs that potentiate locomotor output. Here, we provide evidence that ...

the cholinergic and gabaergic .bers of the medial septal/diagonal band of broca (ms/db) area project to the hippocampus and constitute the septo-hippocampal pathway, which has been proven to play a role in learning and memory. in addition, the hippocampus has bidirectional connections with the septum so that to self-regulate of cholinergic input. the activity of septal and hippocampal neurons i...

Degeneration of dopaminergicrgic neurons in the substantia nigra of the brain is a hallmark of Parkinson's disease and inflammation and oxidative stress are closely associated with the pathogenesis of degenerative neurological disorders. Treatment of rat mesencephalic mixed neuron-glia cultures with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated microglia, resident immune cells of the brain, to release pro...

Primary cultures of nigral tissue are widely used as a model system to assay effects of trophic and toxic agents on dopaminergic neurons. Cultured dopaminergic neurons have been successfully transplanted in animals and led to behavioral improvement in animal models of Parkinson’s disease. The success of these preclinical studies has encouraged investigators to begin clinical trials using transp...

Dopaminergic neurons in the ventral mesencephalon (the ventral mesencephalic dopaminergic complex) are known for their role in a multitude of behaviors, including cognition, reward, addiction and voluntary movement. Dysfunctions of these neurons are the underlying cause of various neuropsychiatric disorders, such as depression, addiction and schizophrenia. In addition, Parkinson's disease (PD),...