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Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Comprehensive Profiling of Dopamine Regulation in Substantia Nigra and Ventral Tegmental Area
Published on: August 10, 2012
Excitatory neuromodulator reduces dopamine release, enhancing prolactin secretion
1Department of Neurosurgery, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA. anthony.vandenpol@yale.edu
Abstract:
Hypothalamic dopamine neurons inhibit pituitary prolactin secretion. In this issue of Neuron, Lyons et al. provide evidence for a novel model, whereby the excitatory neuropeptide TRH depolarizes gap-junction-coupled dopamine neurons, leading to a shift in the population pattern of action potentials from phasic burst firing to regular tonic firing, hypothetically reducing dopamine release while increasing total spike number.
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