Mechanisms of development and maintenance of dopaminergic neurons
Dopaminergic (DA) neurons are a group of closely related neurons that share developmental profiles and origin. The neural circuits established by DA neurons include the nigrostriatal pathway, the mesolimbic pathway, and the mesocortical pathway. Collectively, these neural circuits play an essential role in motor control, reward behaviors and habit learning. ThisFEBS Letters Special Issue provides a comprehensive review on several important topics regarding DA neurons, including the molecular mechanisms that regulate the establishment, diversification, and survival of DA neurons, the mechanisms that govern the formation of functional DA neural circuits, and how mitochondrial abnormalities and α-synuclein protein misfolding contribute to the degeneration of DA neurons.
