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A dopamine-to-serotonin circuit for the treatment of anorexia nervosa

Dopamine (DA) neurons in the ventral tegmental area bidirectionally regulate the activity of serotonin neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus. Low-strength activity causes inhibition via dopamine receptor D2, whereas high- strength activity causes activation via dopamine receptor D1, and this circuit contributes to anorexia nervosa-like behaviors in mice.

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Fig. 1: A schematic diagram of abnormal activity in a DAVTA-to-5-HTDRN circuit that might underlie the pathophysiology of anorexia nervosa.

References

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This is a summary of: Cai, X. et al. A D2 to D1 shift in dopaminergic inputs to midbrain 5-HT neurons causes anorexia in mice. Nat. Neurosci. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-022-01062-0 (2022)

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A dopamine-to-serotonin circuit for the treatment of anorexia nervosa. Nat Neurosci 25, 541–542 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-022-01064-y

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