image: Optogenetic manipulation on impulsive choice for palatable foods. view more
Credit: Image courtesy of Bokyeong Kim.
A study finds that genetically engineered mice lacking the D2 dopamine receptor exhibited increased impulsive behavior and that restoration of the receptor in the brain's central amygdala diminished impulsivity; using optogenetics to activate inhibitory neurons that connect the central amygdala to the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis region also diminished impulsivity, suggesting mechanisms for the regulation of impulsivity by dopamine.
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Article #18-11664: "Dopamine D2 receptor-mediated circuit from the central amygdala to the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis regulates impulsive behavior," by Bokyeong Kim et al.
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