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Sensory Stimuli Control Dopamine in the Brain

A four-millimeter-long larvae of zebrafish with visible nerve cells under the microscope. Credit: Research group Driever

A four-millimeter-long larvae of zebrafish with visible nerve cells under the microscope. Credit: Research group Driever

The type and intensity of stimuli control the activity of nerve cells that release the neurotransmitter dopamine, report scientists. In their study of fish larvae, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Driever and his team of neurobiologists at the University of Freiburg have discovered that a group of nerve cells in the forebrain release the dopamine when activated by tactile or certain visual stimuli. These dopaminergic nerve cells send connections to almost all parts of the brain and spinal cord, thereby affecting the functions of many circuits...

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