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Updated: Jul 10, 2026
In Vivo Wireless Optogenetic Control of Skilled Motor Behavior
Published on: November 22, 2021
Genetic control of instrumental conditioning by striatopallidal neuron-specific S1P receptor Gpr6
Mary Kay Lobo1, Yijun Cui, Sean B Ostlund
1Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, University of California at Los Angeles, 695 Charles Young Drive South, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
Abstract:
Instrumental conditioning allows animals to learn about the consequences of their own actions, but the underpinning molecular mechanisms remain elusive. Here we show that the sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor Gpr6 is selectively expressed in the striatopallidal neurons in the striatum. Gpr6-deficient mice showed reduced striatal cyclic AMP production in vitro and selective alterations in instrumental conditioning in vivo. Thus, Gpr6 is the first striatopallidal neuron-specific genetic regulator of instrumental conditioning in a mammal.
