Daylight Determines Dopamine

摘要

Expression of the appropriate neurotransmitters is essential for the function of neural circuits. Can neurons change their transmitter phenotype to deal with alterations in the environment? Dulcis et al. (p. 449; see the Perspective by Birren and Marder) exposed adult rats to different photope-riods mimicking summer and winter daylengths. Neurotransmitter expression switched between dopamine and somatostatin in hypothalamic neurons that regulate release of corticotropin-releasing factor. Transmitter switching occurred at the transcrip-tional level and was accompanied by changes in postsynaptic receptors.