Diurnal Liver Metabolites (IMAGE) University of California - Irvine Caption “Our studies show that alterations of dopaminergic signaling in the brain affects liver metabolism in a circadian manner. Metabolic inter-tissue communication is highly dynamic and easily influenced by external factors. Indeed, the metabolic perturbations observed between normal mice and those with an impaired dopamine D2 receptor signaling in striatal medium spiny neurons is greatly enhanced by cocaine, a substance of abuse and psychomotor stimulant, as shown in the pie charts. These results highlight the important connectivity between single type of neurons and metabolism and show how psychoactive drugs impact physiology through direct brain-liver connections,” says Emiliana Borrelli, PhD, professor of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics at UCI School of Medicine, who, for this study, collaborated with the late Paolo Sassone-Corsi, PhD, professor of Biological Chemistry at UCI. Credit School of Medicine / UCI Usage Restrictions none License Original content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.