HAEHNEL-TAGUCHI LAB

An important neuromodulator in the central nervous system is Dopamine. In zebrafish, a group of dopaminergic neurons in the diencephalon that corresponds to the A11 cluster in mammals, projects to multiple sensory systems at various levels and into the spinal cord. Also in the mammalian system, the A11 dopaminergic neurons are the only group that send descending projections into the spinal cord. They assume an important role in sensory modulation and abnormal dopamine signaling in these neurons plays a role in chronic pain and stands in connection to a common neurological disorder, the Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), in which patients experience unpleasant sensation, mainly in the legs during rest.