Profile
Project Title: Reach out and grab something: A13 dopamine neurons and their contribution to skilled forelimb movements
Summary: The ability to reach out and grab something which can then be manipulated for use is an evolutionary important motor action for many mammalian species. This seemingly effortless action integrates ongoing forelimb movements, their position in relation to the target and other important information such as the amount of grip strength necessary to secure the object.
The project aims to determine how the brain transforms intent into a motor command for reaching-to-grasp actions. We have previously shown the A13 dopamine (DA) neurons are important for grasping actions that are independent of reward. We next aim to map out the anatomical projections of the A13-DA brain area to ascertain the contributing inputs associated with this integration of information. This data would then contribute to in vivo studies looking at the activity of the A13-DA neurons in the initiation and execution of reach-to-grasp movements and could therefore determine how grasping actions are generated and reinforce goal-directed behaviours linked to foraging behaviour. This would then be followed up by determining the causal relationship between specific A13-DA circuits and forelimb movements in vivo.
The project aims to elucidate the transformation of incoming A13 information into a motor command for reaching out and grabbing a desired object, consequently positioning A13-DA neurons into the functional framework of central dopaminergic processes. As successful reach to grasp movements are severely disrupted in DA neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s and Huntington’s Disease as well as their corresponding rodent models, determining the projections of this brain area as well as the affected movements are essential for determining if A13 is an appropriate therapeutic target for the symptomatic treatment of the diseases.
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