CircaDopamine · The Role of Dopamine in the Regulation of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms

The Role of Dopamine in the Regulation of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms

• What is the problem/issue being addressed? Among the many neuromodulators used by the nervous system to regulate physiological functions and plasticity, dopamine (DA) stands out as one of the most behaviorally potent factors (Trisch and Sabatini, 2012). DA plays an important role in the control of multiple physiological functions including; motor actions, food intake, reward, cognitive functions such as learning, memory, attention and decision making. Given this broad physiological implication of DA, it is not surprising that dysfunctions in the DA neurotransmission would be associated with several neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders (Trisch and Sabatini, 2012). The majority of the patients affected by these disorders display in their diagnosis debilitating sleep and circadian disorders (Videnovic & Golombek, 2013). For example, in Parkinson’s disease (PD), it is now clinically established that sleep and circadian disruptions are among the most debilitating non-motor symptoms of the disease. Yet, the role as well as the mechanisms by which DA modulate and/or regulate sleep and circadian physiology is not well understood. This very short recall of the background of CircaDA project constitute the overall scientific rational behind the execution, and the still ongoing related experiments, of the project. • Why is it important for society? At a fundamental level, results of our project should provide a basis for understanding the molecular and physiological mechanisms of the synchronizing role of DA in striatal-related functions. By emphasising the critical importance of the circadian component of DA neurotransmission, our results are therefore expected to stimulate further research in the diverse DA-related fields. At the clinical level, DA-related pathologies such as addiction, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases are characterised by serious debilitating circadian and sleep abnormalities (Videnovic & Golombek, 2013). Currently, no effective therapeutic strategies are available to alleviate these symptoms. Additionally, the currently stochastic intake of DA medication over the day is associated with adverse side effects that contribute to the low quality of life in these patients. Advancing our knowledge on the role of DA in the regulation of sleep/wake behavior and the physiological significance of the circadian component of DA signalling is expected to significantly contribute towards overcoming these problems and to disentangle possible targets for therapeutic strategies. • What are the overall objectives? Our project has two overall scientific objectives: 1) Determine the role of DA in the modulation of circadian and sleep homeostatic processes. 2) Characterization of the circadian component of DA signalling and its role in driving and/or synchronizing striatal and cortical neuronal activity and physiological functions that are under control of DA. And two main training objectives: 1) To learn in vivo electrophysiology. 2) To advance and develop my proficiency towards attending independency.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union