Dopamine manages locomotion in Caenorhabditis elegans by modulating motor neurons

Abstract

Dopamine is a crucial neurotransmitter in the brain that regulates the coordination of movement and cognition by modulating synaptic activity through two kinds of G protein-coupled receptors. It has also been demonstrated that these two receptor classes can have either positive or negative effects on neurotransmission. Although the pharmacology of mammalian dopamine receptors has been extensively defined, less is known about the molecular pathways that work downstream of the receptors. Caenorhabditis elegans, which requires two types of dopamine receptors to regulate brain activity, can be used as a genetic tool to pinpoint the molecular processes by which dopamine receptors influence neurotransmission.